Unexpected
by FuckYeahMaki
Summary: Maki Nishikino and Nico Yazawa aren't very friendly towards each other. They don't talk much to each other and they annoy each other constantly. Until one day, they're forced to live with each other for a month and a half, Nico and Maki learn things about each other that no one else has ever known. And something blossoms between them unexpectedly. (Image by catskid100 on tumblr)
1. How it happened

_**Hello! I've been working really hard on this story! It takes place before the girls have wen't to Nico's house, but after season one. Thank you for understanding! By the way, Honoka is a little OOC in this story, but she is NOT the antagonist! In fact, it's someone outside the group! Thank you for understanding, and for thinking of reading my story! Favorites, Follows, and Reviews are very appreciated!**_

 _ **By the way, there's a little bit of self hatred with Nico in this story, but there's perfect reasoning for that we will get to in chapter three or so! If you're sensitive to that, please be mindful that it takes place in only this chapter, but is mentioned later on as well! Thank you, and I hope you enjoy!**_

"Alright everyone! I have a proposal." Honoka, the leader of their idol group called out in the club room one day, "I know that we have all hung out separately and such, but I think we need to have more of an emotional bond between the people who aren't very close to each other!"

Everyone looked at her, with confusion on their face.

"Honoka, what are you talking about? We're all really close to each other." Umi spoke, saying what everyone was thinking.

"Well, Umi, lemme explain." She turned around and started drawing on the chalkboard behind her.

Everyone stared at her back while she was drawing, wondering what on earth she could be trying to attempt. She used the entirety of the board, letting the chalk glide mindlessly into shapes, which eventually turned into people. After a couple of minutes she stepped away from the board.

"So, basically, everyone knows how close Umi, Kotori, and I are, right?" She said, looking over everyone nodding, "As well as all the first years, and all the third years, yeah?" Everyone mumbled a small 'yes', "Well, I was thinking, let's mix it up! So, basically, I have a chart here with people who need to become closer to each other!"

Everyone sighed, but Honoka still pulled out the chart, "Umi and Hanayo, Nozomi and Kotori, Maki and Nico, and lasty, since there's an odd number, Rin, Me and Eli!"

The people grouped together looked at each other, and smiled.

Well, all except Nico and Maki.

"Can I get swapped?" Maki asked.

"Yeah, can she?" Nico asked as well.

Honoka laughed, "No, this is official. Besides, it would be unfair. Then the relationship between each person in their specific grades would be messed up. We can't have two people from the same year in the same group, you know."

Maki sat back in her chair and put her hands over her face, and Nico looked offended, "But- but we can't- we can't be with each other constantly, at the end of this, we'll need a restraining order against each other!"

Honoka shrugged, "Rules are rules, ladies."

Nico groaned and fell back into her chair, accepting her fate. The rest of the group looked at them, wondering where all that drama was coming from.

"But, anyway, girls!" Everyone's eyes went back up to Honoka, "So, I took the liberty in asking all of your parents during a private time if it would be okay if you guys could stay at each others houses for a month and a half and all of them humbly agreed. So, you're all forced into this by your parents as well, isn't that great?"

The room fell silent. Everyone was looking at Honoka with stunned expressions on their faces.

"A month and a half!?" Hanayo asked, looking slightly afraid.

Honoka just nodded, smiling back at the younger girl.

Nico raised her hand, "But- but wait. Who's staying at who's house?"

"Good question Nico! Umi will be staying with Hanayo, Kotori will be staying with Nozomi, Maki will be staying with you, and us three will be staying with Eli." Honoka replied, with a smile on her face.

"But- I can't do that! I have siblings who look to me as their mom since mine is always working- I can't have someone else that I need to take care of in my house!"

"Just think of her as another mom, then. You guys can work together!"

Maki looked stunned, as well as Nico, while everyone in their groups were talking with each other, discussing plans for the time they were together. While everyone was excited, Maki looked over at Nico, and sighed. Yeah, this was going to be painful. She groaned and stood up, walking out into the hallway.

"I'm just getting water, okay?" She yelled back into the room before leaving once more.

She walked into the girls room and splashed her face with water. She looked at herself in the mirror, and sighed. She's going to have to do this, and she's going to have to do this for over a month. Why was this all of a sudden happening? Did god just want revenge on her or something? Does Honoka have a secret hatred for her? Why does the world want to put her through this pain?

"I can see you're not happy about this."

Maki turned towards the bathrooms entrance and saw Eli standing there, smiling.

"Oh gee, how did you know?" Maki replied sarcastically.

"I've seen you guys in the BiBi rehearsals. You guys can't stand each other, I'm surprised we get anything done." She said, looking at herself in the mirror.

Maki sighed, "Do you think we'll get out without killing each other?"

Eli nodded, "Probably. I think that you guys will get out." She stared at Maki one last time, "Perhaps…" She laughed and walked out the door.

Maki watched her leave. _Perhaps what?_ She thought before leaving the bathroom and going back to the club room.

The rest of the day was uneventful. It was as always planned. They practiced their singing, did some exercises, and wrote out some more dance moves, as well as practiced them. But the hype was distracting everyone from the normal practice. Everyone was talking about it, except the two that weren't fond of the idea. At the end of the day, when everything was coming to an end, everything was just beginning to start.

All the groups were parting ways with each other, until the last two girls were standing there, in front of the entrance to the school. They were looking at each other, with no expressions on their faces. Both of them expectant and a bit excited about this new thing that Honoka had set up. This went on for several minutes, until Maki spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Are you just going to keep staring at me, or are we actually going to leave?"

Nico smirked, "Since when have you wanted to go to my house so bad?"

Maki just glared at her, and Nico glared back, giving an expectant smile. Maki rolled her eyes, "No, I just don't want to be stuck at this school more than I have to."

"If I were you, I'd cherish it. You don't know what you have until it's gone." Nico looked around the school one last time before shaking her head and turning out the door, "Come on, I can't be late to make dinner."

Maki followed behind her, twirling the edge of her hair with her finger. They walked out of the school grounds in silence, and all the way to the train station in silence. The whole situation was unnecessary, and neither of them wanted to do it. How the other girls managed to comply so willingly, they had no idea. Apparently, all of the girls had a 'strong emotional bond' as Honoka put it. As ridiculous as it sounds, it was probably true. Maki wasn't very close to _anyone,_ so she didn't really find it necessary to have this 'bonding' thing. If Honoka really even cared, she would've had a group thing. This was definitely a weird hatred situation.

Right?

As the got to the train station, Maki stopped in her tracks, and Nico turned around, with a confused look, "What? Afraid you left your train card in your locker?"

Maki shook her head, "I don't even have a card, I've never taken the train before."

Nico raised an eyebrow, "So?"

Maki gave an annoyed expression at Nico for not having the common sense to realize what she meant, "I can't take the train, obviously."

Nico groaned, "Just buy a card! It's not brain surgery, Maki."

Maki looked uneasy at the idea of using her credit card, it was marked only for emergency. "Would you consider this an emergency?"

Nico shrugged, "A little bit? I mean, we need to get home as soon as possible so I can make dinner-"

"That's all I need. I'll go get the card now." Maki cut Nico off and walked over to the place where you buy the cards.

Nico watched her leave, already annoyed with her. Why did that girl just push all of her buttons!? It's like she's doing it on purpose- and enjoying it. That girl just didn't have any care in the world, did she? The only thing she cares about is being a bitch all the time. God, if Nico wasn't such a good person she would've punched her already.

Maki walked back carelessly, and stepped through the terminal, "You're the one who said to hurry up, Nico."

Nico snapped out of her daze by the sound of Maki's voice and huffed in annoyance before turning into the terminal and walking alongside Maki. They both stayed silent, equally annoyed at each other, until they reached the divider between trains. Maki followed Nico as she turned into the Akiba station terminal.

Maki looked at Nico with surprise on her face, "You live in Akiba?"

Nico nodded, "What to it? It's where I can afford to live."

Maki looked away, "Nothing, it's just surprising. I wouldn't have ever thought that you lived in such a busy city."

Nico shrugged and waited for the train to arrive. Maki stood a little ways behind her, rolling her eyes from Nico shrug. She began tapping her foot in impatience, taking a deep breath and sighing. She glanced at the board, noticing that the train wasn't arriving for another seven minutes. Her eye twitched, and she groaned, walking past Nico and making her way to the nearest seating area.

Nico watched her walk by her, "What are you doing?"

"Going to rob a bank, of course. What do you think?" Maki replied sarcastically.

Nico gave an annoyed expression and looked back at the train tracks, ignoring Maki's sarcastic comment.

Maki smirked at her little victory about bothering Nico, "I mean, we have a couple to wait, why not sit? It seems like the most logical thing," Nico turned around at her, and she just gave a calm smirk, "Don't you think?"

Nico tensed up, and turned away again, murmuring to herself. Maki had to hold in a laugh, it was _so_ funny annoying the other girl the way that she did. It was the only joy she got out of being stuck with Nico, and she was pretty sure Nico just accepted it so that she could get through this. Smiling at the thought, she glanced up at the board to notice that her train should be the next one to arrive. She gathered her stuff, and walked back to her previous position.

The train arrived not long after that. The door stopped some-what in front of the two girls so they didn't have to walk very far. As the doors slid open, Nico walked in there as fast as she could without it being considered running. Maki followed calmly behind her, sitting next to her in the only two seats they were able to find. Nico quickly pulled out her phone to avoid any awkward conversations, put in her headphones, and listened to any song her phone put on shuffle. She tapped her finger along to the beat as she stared out the window of the car.

Maki threw her head back and looked at the ceiling of the car, listening carefully at Nico's beat. She closed her eyes, letting melodies flow through her head to the beat of her fingers. Unknowingly, she began to hum a tune that would go along with the beat. Her fingers played the piano chords to go along with the notes she was producing with her mouth.

A few people started turning their heads towards the two girls, hearing Maki's precise notes to Nico's beat with her fingers. The beat was tough to match with a new song easily, and Nico wasn't letting it up at all by tapping her fingers in the way her feet would go if she were playing Dance Dance Revolution on Expert mode, her fingers were tapping at the speed of light. Maki didn't match the beat perfectly most of the time, but she matched it well enough with the small improvisation they were creating unknowingly.

At this point a small group of people were looking at them, wondering what on earth they were doing. But they kept going, not paying attention to whoever was looking. Maki was matching with the beat as much as she could, and Nico wasn't paying attention to it that much, easily tapping her fingers on the windowsill. As the song was drawing to a close, the tempo slowed down greatly. Maki was late on slowing down the music, but she still managed to make it sound do-able. Once Nico's fingers stopped tapping, Maki stopped humming. She opened her eyes and sat up, looking around at the small crowd of people staring at them in awe.

She lightly tapped at Nico, who took out a headphone, looking in the direction that she was looking. She looked slightly confused, as well as Maki. Suddenly, a little girl began to clap. That little girl made a couple more people clap, and then everyone who was paying attention began to clap. Maki began to blush and Nico just improvised with the group.

"Nico Nico Nii! I hoped you enjoyed our little beat there!" She gave her signature hand sign and a little girl giggled, still clapping as hard as she could.

Maki leaned over and whispered into Nico's ear, "What did we just do to deserve this?"

Nico shrugged, "You probably started humming again without knowing it, like you usually do during rehearsal, to the beat of my fingers."

Maki's blush grew redder, "N-No that couldn't be it! I mean- I wouldn't-"

"Well apparently, you just did." Nico looked back out the window, "Stop being so embarrassed, apparently people liked you anyway. It's not necessary for you to be embarrassed."

Maki sat back at her seat and stared at her feet, flustered, "I-I guess… I just don't know why I did that- My improvisation songs are always horrible…"

"Maybe to your standards, but to everyone else it's apparently good." Nico brushed her hair back and stood up, seeing that they were arriving their stop.

Maki followed behind her, still staring at the ground to hide her blushing face. She was shaking a bit, but only from stage fright. _Oh my god,_ she thought, brushing her hair behind her ear, _I'm going to be cringing at this later._

The train came to a slow stop, and Maki followed Nico out of the train and into the station once again. Nico was walking a bit fast, and Maki was having a hard time trying to keep up. She maneuvered through the crowd of people as best as she could, with still keeping Nico in sight.

They eventually got to the exit of the station, where Nico was standing, tapping her foot in impatience, "What was taking you so long? I've been here for five minutes."

Maki rolled her eyes and stepped out of the train station, "Yeah, sure, whatever helps you sleep at night."

Nico growled a bit and walked off in the direction of her house again, quickly. Maki followed the pace this time, there wasn't a big crowd of people from where they were walking. Suddenly, Nico turned a corner and began to walk through a small alleyway, Maki was a bit hesitant to do so, but she eventually followed Nico into the alleyway.

"Why are we walking through here? Isn't it a bit… Dangerous?" She questioned, staying close to Nico.

"It's a shortcut to a park in my neighborhood, and it beats walking through _that_ crowd of people." Nico replied dully, making her way out of the alley.

Maki followed her out and as they exited, she found that Nico was right. There was a small park with kids playing, and there were a few apartment complexes nearby. She smiled a bit at the little kids playing. They were having so much fun, and not a care in the world. She laughed a bit at them, and brushed it off, focusing her vision to where Nico was walking. They walked into the main lobby- which was small compared to Maki's living room- and turned into one of the elevators, as people were walking out of it. Nico pushed her floor number and they waited in the elevator in silence.

"Nico." Maki questioned, twirling her finger around her hair.

"What do you want?" She replied back, annoyance in her voice.

"How many… Siblings… Do you have?" She felt a bit uneasy saying the word siblings, because she's only ever had one, and didn't know how many Nico had.

Nico huffed, "Three, why?"

Maki felt a shiver going down her spine, _Three!?_ she thought to herself, thinking about that many people living in such an enclosed space, "Do you guys share a room o-or anything?"

Nico scoffed, "Of course not. _They_ share a room because they're all around the same age, but I don't share a room with them."

"So, where will I be staying?" She asked, brushing her hair behind her ear again.

Nico stood still, her eyes wide, "I-I, uh, I d-didn't really think about t-that…"

"You mean I don't have my own room?"

"Of course not, who do you think we are, rich? We only have three bedrooms and two baths in my apartment."

"So, then will I sleep in the same room as you?" Maki asked uneasily.

Nico shrugged, "Probably. But we don't have any extra futons because my siblings take all of them, so you'll have to sleep in my bed."

Maki cringed a bit at the thought of sleeping in the same bed as Nico, "What size is your bed?"

"A queen size, don't worry. We can share it." Nico replied, as the elevator came to a stop.

They stepped out of the elevator and walked down the long walkway, while Maki was staring at the beautiful sky that was above them, which was beginning to turn a bit yellow as sunset was coming across. Maki smiled gently at the horizon before bumping into Nico.

"Hey, geez, we're here." Nico unlocked the door and stepped in, Maki following behind her and closing the door lightly, "Cocoro, Cocoa, Cotaro, I'm home!" She called, alerting her siblings that she had arrived.

Maki took off her shoes and left them by the front door, walking into their small kitchen, where Nico was standing, looking through the refrigerator. Maki stood next to their kitchen table and sighed a bit, looking around the kitchen.

Nico looked up from the refrigerator, "What? Need a tour of the house or something?"

Maki shrugged, "It would be nice."

Nico groaned and took out a chocolate popsicle, unwrapping it and throwing away the wrapper, "Fine, but don't make any snooty comments." She gestured towards the kitchen, "This is the kitchen, where I cook things. Don't expect me to make you lunch though." She walked out of the kitchen and into the small living room, Maki following. She gestured to the living room, "This is the living room. It had a tv, some seats, a small coffee table, and some plants. You can watch tv here whenever you feel like it, just not in the middle of the night."

Maki looked around, unimpressed. She was right for the description for the most part, but everything was of low quality. The tv was small, though it was a new model, and there were a couple pictures of the family lying around. She looked at the small coffee table, and while it was sturdy, it was very small, but big enough to put a nice little flower on, and maybe a couple plates.

Nico walked out of the living room and gestured into the hall on the right, "This is where we have my siblings room, my room, a bathroom, and a storage closet. I can show you the room later." She walked past the living room again, but this time gestured to the hall on the left, "This the smaller hall, where we have my mom's room, a bathroom, and another storage closet. Don't go into any of the rooms here, my mom likes her privacy."

Maki nodded, "Note taken." Nico turned around and went back to her hallway, and Maki followed.

Nico opened the door to a messy, childlike room with three futons in it. There were toys everywhere and a dollhouse about the size of a bedside table. Nico sighed, "This is my sibling's room. They're probably at work with my mom again, and they never clean. They're really loud and don't understand things, just be nice to them, okay?" Maki nodded, and Nico closed the door.

She walked over to the bathroom and opened the door, "Here's the bathroom. Please use your own soap in the shower." And with that, she closed the door. She walked over to the storage closet and opened it, "Just towels, blankets, pillows and cleaning supplies, nothing more." She shut it, and walked towards the final door.

With a deep breath, Nico opened the door to her room. Maki was blasted by the color pink. There were idol posters everywhere, lolita decorations everywhere, and her bed was just the cutest pink there was to exist. Maki began to step in slowly, her mouth agape.

Nico blushed a bit, "Wh-what's wrong with it?"

Maki grabbed onto one of the banisters on her bed, and looked at her with tears in her eyes, "This is so cute, Nico. I never imagined someone like you to be in possession of this."

Nico's face turned red and she grabbed Maki's arm "Never, ever tell _anyone_ about this, do you understand me?" She said with anger in her voice.

Maki just nodded, failing to hold back a laugh. Nico let go of her arm and kept her head down, shaking a bit as she walked out of her bedroom and slammed the door shut behind her. Maki stared at the closed door and sighed, looking around the room once more and setting her bag down, sitting on the floor and beginning her homework.

On the other side of the door, Nico was standing there, trembling. Her eyes shut tight, but tears still managing to escape. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, collapsing on the floor in tears. Her sobs were quiet, but still loud enough to be heard from someone in the next room over.

She picked up her body, and looked at herself in the mirror, "Disgusting." She let down her hair, and looked at herself again, "Disgusting." She threw the bows on the floor with tears in her eyes, "Why can't I just not be disgusting for a second of my life!? Why can't I just be myself and not let people get to me!? Why do I just keep faking my confidence, because it's not really there and it will never be there! I'm just a worthless, fake bitch who can't do anything right! I can't even get people to smile for me…" She screamed at the top of her lungs, probably loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.

She collapsed back onto the floor, letting her head hang low. She muttered the word 'disgusting' more times than she could count. She sniffed and cleared her throat, tying her hair back up in her twin tails. She picked herself up, and looked at herself in the mirror once more. She put on a fake smile, and opened the door, only to see Maki standing there.

"Nico, tell me what just happened in there."

Nico froze, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "N-Nothing… It wouldn't matter to you anyway."

Maki took a deep breath, "Why were you yelling? I could hear your voice even with my music on full volume."

Nico cleared her throat a bit, "I-I was j-just… Practicing a few of my signature catchphrases! Y-Yeah…"

Maki sighed, "Look, Nico, if I'm really aggravating you so much that you're screaming to yourself about me, I can just leave."

Nico raised her hands up in defense, "No! No. It's not you, you don't need to leave."

Maki raised her eyebrow, crossing her arms, "Well, then what was it?"

Nico gave a forgiving smile, "Hey, can we talk about this later? I really need to cook dinner now…"

Maki sighed, _this girl isn't going to budge at all._ She thought as she flipped her hair back with her hand, "Fine. I'm going to continue my homework now."

Nico smiled and waved, "Tell me if you need help, okay? Nico Nico Nii is always welcome to serve you!"

Maki squinted her eyes and walked into Nico's room, slamming the door behind her. "Hey! Stop slamming doors! We can't let them break!" Nico yelled at the door.

"You started it!" Maki yelled back from inside Nico's room.  
Nico sighed before walking towards the kitchen. This was going to be a horrible month and a half.

 _ **This is called Unexpected for a reason, is it not? Well, in this story many things are very unexpected, so I hope that you'll enjoy this really angsty love story between two girls who hate each other in the story but end up falling in love. How beautiful. Anyway, the next chapter should be out in two weeks or so, I don't know how long this will take, so, yeah. Anyway, I'm looking forward to it! You should too! Adios~**_

 _ **Edit- Also! I made it for as long as I did for character development, though I'm a bit iffy on the length of how long they will be together. If it becomes unnecessary throughout the story, I will shorten it within reason, but if not, it will stay the same. Thanks for understanding!**_


	2. At this point

_**Hello guys! And welcome to chapter two. So, I kind of over speculated when I said that it would take two weeks to write the next chapter, because I'm already done with it. The first one took about eight days, so I just assumed through that. Well, anyway, I lied. New chapter today.**_

 ** _To answer a question a reviewer, I will probably write a couple companions to this story based on the other girls adventures once this one is over, probably as well as a sequel to this story! But that is in the long run anyway, enjoy this chapter for now!_**

 _ **This chapter mainly focuses on Nozomi and Maki, because the next chapter will be all about Nico's past. The one after that, probably about Maki's past. Someone that has a lost of involvement in Maki's past is in this chapter thooooough! Oooh this chapter was so angsty I had so much fun writing it. Anyway, enjoooooy!**_

Maki Nishikino was never the girl to care about someone, or to care at all. Her lifeless face really did describe her personality. Quiet, cool, and collected were all words that could describe her without fault. But Maki wasn't emotionless. She, in fact, had many emotions. The emotions could be positive, or they could be negative. But mostly, they were painful. To Maki, emotions were worthless. Just a state of mind that could be changed easily. But with all these emotions swirling around in her head, she couldn't help but to react on them sometimes.

The emotion that she reacted on the most was annoyance, because she get's annoyed easily. That emotion was the only one she ever really reacted on in full, the other emotions that she's had she's hid by a blushing face, of course. But her emotions hit her stronger than anything else. When she's alone, her emotions take control of her entire body, only reacting through them. That's why her songs have the ability to move someone, because she's alone when she writes. Her emotions take over the keyboard, letting the melodies flow through her head with the emotion she pours into it. μ's, of course, never particularly does slow, emotional songs. Their songs revolve around making people happy and making people have fun. So, being that way, the songs are always happy. But when Maki breaks down, she could right the saddest songs known to mankind. She could make any type of song, except one.

Maki Nishikino, the girl who is full of emotion, could not write love songs. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't produce the melodies that would harmonize with the lyrics Umi wrote. It would always turn out too… emotionless. She couldn't put emotion into these types of songs, and she had no idea why. It wasn't hard to write cheesy songs for girls to fawn over, so why did Maki have such a hard time writing them?

Maki struggled constantly, even with songs that only slightly mentioned love, even in a friend way. She couldn't bring the music to slow down for that part, and had so much frustration when it came to songs with soft emotion. It just tore her up to write slow songs that had power, she just couldn't do it. There was an explanation for this, though.

Maki Nishikino had never been in love. She's had relationships, but she's never been in love. She had never truly felt for someone enough to write a song based on her emotions with them, because usually, there wasn't much emotion there. She hasn't ever had steady dates, and she just went on dates because boys found her attractive because she played piano. To her, that meant nothing. It barely meant that the boys had interest in _her,_ just her piano skills. All of them from time to time asked her to write a song for them. She always said that she would, but never really got around to it, because the boys made her feel uncomfortable.

But even to this day, with all those dates, she just _couldn't write love songs._ She couldn't write one even if her life depended on it. Emotion like that didn't flow through her mind, or through her body. It was an emotion she had never felt. How could she write about that? Maki just assumed that she was never going to have to, and that she would never need to.

Until she got a text message from Nozomi.

Maki's phone buzzed, alerting her with a text message on the screen. It was the next day, and Maki was having lunch in the music room, which was normal. Maki looked down at her phone, opening it to look at the message. Her eyes grew wide when she read it.

"What!?" She yelled, gathering her things and storming out of the room, making her way to the third year hallway, and stopping outside of the door to the classroom Nozomi was in.

She slid the door open harshly, and stormed over to Nozomi, who was just smirking at her, knowing what she did to make Maki so furious, "Nozomi!" She yelled, approaching her desk.

Nozomi opened an eye, pressing the tip of one of her tarot cards to her chin, "Hm? What's wrong?"

"You…" She stuttered, she held up her phone with the text, "This…"

Nozomi just smiled, "Oh, that. I thought it would be a good idea, you know? We could draw in more young girls-"

"But you _know_ I can't write love songs!" She yelled at her senior, panicking to try and change her mind.

Nozomi just giggled, "I know. But I thought that maybe you could do some research on it. Maybe listen to some love songs, read some love novels. You know, to get yourself in the mood."

Maki's entire face was red, "N-Nozomi!"

"Geez, what's with all the ruckus in here?" Nozomi and Maki's heads turned to face Nico, who was holding a water bottle.

Nico noticed Maki and groaned, "Can't you at least leave me alone during class? I don't need to see you every moment of my day." She sulked her way back to her seat and began to eat lunch.

Nozomi smiled, "Anyway, Maki, I really need you to do this for me, okay? Just _try_ to get some inspiration?"

Maki sighed, "Can't we manage without one? Why can't we do a song about this 'bonding experience we're forced to have."

Nozomi laughed, "That's what it is, silly."

Maki looked up, "What?"

"I'm not necessarily saying that it has to be a romantic love song, it can be a friend one." Nozomi gestured towards Nico, causing Nico to look up, "Why don't you write a song capturing the feelings that you feel towards Nicocchi?"

"That would most certainly _not_ be a love song. It would be the opposite." Maki looked at Nico, shivering at the thought of them two having anything to do with love.

"Well then… How about a boyfriend? Ever had one? Write about the feelings that you had with him!" Nozomi suggested, eating a ball of rice.

Maki shook her head, "No, never had a boyfriend… All dates I've ever been on were horrible."

Nozomi sighed, "I guess it won't happen?"

Maki shook her head, "Of course not. You should've expected this, Nozomi."

Nozomi shrugged, "It was worth a shot. I mean, I was just trying to know who you had a crush on anyway. If it's no one, I guess that can't be helped.

"O-Of course I don't like anyone! T-This is an all girls school anyway… Who could I like?" Maki stuttered, trying to compose herself from her embarrassment.

Nozomi smirked, and shrugged again, "I don't know, that's for you to decide."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" She questioned, before the warning bell sounded, _Damnit!_ She thought as she grabbed her stuff, "I swear, Nozomi. Don't do anything to affect me!" And she ran off.

Eli smirked and walked behind Nozomi, "What was that about?"

Nozomi sighed, "Maki needs to fall in love."

In the hallway, a flustered Maki was running to her classroom, desperate to make it on time. She passed by a few familiar faces, but just gave a quick wave and kept running. She only had a minute left to get to her class, and she was almost there. She pushed past a couple of girls and successfully made it into class to class, with 45 seconds to spare. She took a deep breath, and continued walking to her seat, placing her stuff down, and grabbing her books for the next subject.

"Maki? Why did you come in so late? You're usually here a couple minutes early…" She was asked by Hanayo, who's voice quieted when Maki glanced at her.

Maki sighed, flipping her hair back, "Third years are a pain."

Hanayo just smiled as class began to start.

The rest of the day was spent by Maki contemplating her decisions in life. She wasn't paying attention, and was drifting off in class thinking about how she could even begin to write a love song. While that was extremely tough for her, she didn't really think it was impossible. She just had to fall in love, right? How hard could that be? For reference, Maki stopped by the school library, looking through the genres before she finally found romance.

She scanned through the books, trying to find a cover or introduction that was at least a _little_ interesting. She looked at the books with boredom on her face and in her mind. All of them were a sappy love story between a girl who doesn't have many friends and a boy who's out of her league falling in love, which was extremely boring to the red head.

Maki sighed and put a book back, with the same story as the rest. She scanned through the books before she saw one that caught her eye. She picked it up from the shelf, and examined it thoroughly, seeing if it was any good. The story plot was different from the other books, even though it was still a girl and a boy falling in love. This… This had drama to it. She began to read the first chapter unknowingly, diving right into the book.

Nozomi, who was walking past the library to go to practice, noticed Maki standing in the section, reading the book. She gave a small smirk and walked in quietly, waving to the second-year that was starting book club.

She waltzed up behind Maki, and grabbed her, "So I see you took my advice?"

Maki screamed, "Nozomi! W-W-What!?" The book club hushed her, and she blushed out of embarrassment. She got away from Nozomi and was breathing heavily, the book still in her hand.

Nozomi smirked, "I see you decided to give it a try, I guess that's good. Tell me how it goes, okay?" Maki nodded, and Nozomi giggled at the fact that the redhead was still defensive against her. Maki mumbled a small 'yes' in response, and Nozomi smiled, "Good. Now, come on. We have to get to practice, I think Eli would definitely kill me if we were late."

Maki smiled back, "Yeah… I think Umi would probably gang up on us or something." The two girls laughed together. Maki grabbed the book, and placed it in her bag, "Let's go."

Nozomi nodded, and they departed out of the library.

They made their way around their usual route to get to the roof, not having much conversation between each other. Just a nice, peaceful silence. As the made their way up to the roof, Maki stopped right before going on the roof, causing Nozomi to turn around, questioning what Maki was doing.

"Hey… Can we keep this whole 'love song' thing between us for a while? I really don't want people to know I, uh-"

Maki was interrupted by Nozomi, "That you have a soft side?" Maki just nodded. Nozomi smiled back, and made an action to zip her lips, "Don't worry, it's between us."

Maki gave a sigh of relief, and smiled, "Thanks, now everyone's probably there so-"

Maki, again, was interrupted by Umi. She had a stern look on her face, like she was running a military school. She slammed the door open, and placed her hands on her hips, sighing, "You guys are late."

Nozomi and Maki gave a forgiving smile, and Nozomi spoke up, "Maki was having female issues and I had to help her with that-"

Maki looked at Nozomi with annoyance on her face, _I'm going to kill you later for saying that._ Nozomi gave a small smirk, noticing what she did wrong, and winked at her. Maki groaned, "Whatever- I'm going out."

Umi watched her leave, and looked back at Nozomi, "Get to practice." She said sternly, causing Nozomi to shiver. She gave a sheepish laugh and ran outside, to join the rest of the group.

Once everyone was at practice, they began. They were just doing physical training, because they didn't really have any live show planned soon. They were lacking stamina greatly, according to Umi. They had to run laps around the roof for the entire practice. While Honoka was extremely pumped up about it, as well as Umi, everyone else felt like they wanted to die after the second lap. Umi stated that that was the reason they were doing the exercise, and that they should be able to run laps around the roof at least ten times without feeling tired. Everyone groaned at the statement and brushed it off, causing Umi to become slightly annoyed.

At the end of practice, Honoka gathered everyone back to the main roof entrance, and stood in front of everyone, not in the slightest exhausted. She stood in front of everyone, who looked like they were ready to pass out, and smiled, looking like she was ready to do a backflip and punch someone in the face.

"Alright everyone! I would like a report on your emotional bonding time, by group! So, first, Umi and Hanayo?" She pointed to the girls, and Hanayo took it by surprise that she was first.

Umi looked at Hanayo, and murmured something to her. Hanayo nodded at the statement, and Umi spoke up for both of them.

"Everything is fine with us. Hanayo is an amazing cook, did you know that? She makes the best rice." Hanayo blushed, and Rin simply nodded in agreement. Umi smiled at Hanayo, hitting her slightly in the shoulder.

"Alright, good! You guys are getting along well! Next, Kotori and Nozomi?" Honoka pointed to the two girls.

"We're really good! Nozomi's helping me become less indecisive-" Kotori was cut off by Nozomi continuing the sentence.

"And we're getting really into spiritual rituals at my house! We did some spiritual bonding exercises." Kotori nodded in agreement, smiling happily.

Honoka smiled back, "Good to know you two are getting along! Now, Nico and Maki?"

The two girls glared at each other, and Nico spoke up, "She takes up a lot of space."

Maki's face became a bit red, "Your house is way too small."

Nico looked offended, "It's not my fault your family is rich and has a huge house!"

Maki's eyebrows furrowed, "Well it's not my fault you can't afford to at least have enough futons for any guests!"

"That's because we never have guests!" Nico said defensively.

"That doesn't mean that you can just not have any, not even for emergency!"

"It's not my fault! I can't buy futons without my mom knowing, at least she cares about me, unlike yours, apparently! Because she raised such a bitch!"

"I'm the bitch? Really? Because I wouldn't call myself a bitch after all that we've gone through!"

"Just because we've been through stuff as a group- that doesn't change anything! You usually still be by yourself anyway!"

"I'd say the same to you too, Nico! You're just a try hard that can't even do anything right!"

"That's because no one wants to do it with me!"

"And why's that? Because you don't have any close friends? Or because you never even had friends other than us? Hm?" Maki yelled.

Everyone was silent after that. Nico had tears in her eyes, and everyone was staring at Maki, who had stood up out of enragement. Nico had stood up as well, and was backing down. She took a few shaky breaths, trying to choke back some tears. She started walking backwards towards the door before running out, choking on her own tears.

"Nico!" Everyone ran after her, except Maki and Nozomi.

Maki had an expressionless look on her face, not realizing what she had just done. She picked up her bag and sighed, stuffing her water bottle into the bag. Nozomi watched her silently, not moving from the position she was in before.

After Maki hauled her back around her shoulder, she spoke up, "So, what are you going to do now?"

Maki shrugged, "I'm probably going to the studio."

Nozomi shook her head, "No, I mean, where are you going to stay?"

Maki stood still. She actually had no idea, she didn't think that far ahead. If she went back to her house, Honoka would probably kill her. If she went back to Nico's house, Nico would tell her to leave.

She took a deep breath, and let it out, composing herself, "I don't know."

Nozomi sighed, "Do what you feel is best, Maki. Even if you think that it's the wrong option."

Maki turned around, "What's that supposed to mean?" But when she said the words, Nozomi was already gone. She was alone on the rooftop.

And that's when it hit her, she was exactly like her brother. Her legs began to shake, and she collapsed onto the ground, reliving the moments.

" _Maki, I can't believe you." He looked at Maki's recent test, noticing she only had a 93%, "This won't get you into medicine college."_

" _I know. I apologize." Maki replied, looking at the floor._

" _That's not enough, Maki. You must start early, because at this rate you won't make it."_

 _Maki nodded, "Yes I-"_

" _If you knew, you would get better grades." Maki stared at the ground, letting her brother continue to speak, "I know you're not trying, Maki. You're too busy trying to make friends. You should just stop."_

" _But-"_

" _Don't try to talk back, Maki. Your friends would be better off without you." Maki nodded, closing her eyes as tears began to form, "They don't need you to live, you don't need them to live. Focus on your studies, or move back with mom and dad."_

" _They wouldn't care as much about my grades, would they?" Maki asked, her voice cracking from tears, "Maybe it would be better-"_

" _Maki Nishikino. Never ever say that to your big brother again. You chose to live with me."_

" _Maybe it was the wrong choice!"_

" _Maybe it would be the right choice if you would just get off of your lazy ass and do something for a change!"_

 _Maki looked down, and nodded, "Yes, big brother."_

" _Good. Go study."_

 _Maki nodded and walked off holding back tears._

Maki looked around at the roof and took a deep breath, standing up once again. She walked to the roof door slowly, keeping her eyes closed. As she approached the door, she took a deep breath and opened her eyes, seeing Nico in the doorway. She took a step back, and sighed, letting Nico open the door.

"I didn't think you were still here." Nico said, walking directly past her to get her bag.

Maki shrugged, "I am."

Nico gathered her stuff, and stood in front of Maki, "You're welcome to come back to my house if you want to. Honoka still heavily suggested it."

Maki nodded, "I probably will, thank you."

Nico sighed, "You're right, by the way,"

Maki looked up, "What?"

Nico just shook her head, "Nevermind, forget it. I'm going home, come home whenever you want to, just don't disturb the children."

Maki cleared her throat, "Y-Yeah…" There was a small silence between them, but Maki continued to speak again, "H-Hey Nico… I'm sorry…"

Nico shook her head, "I started it. It's really okay."

"No, it's not. I stepped way out of line, and I shouldn't have said the things that I said. I really am sorry, okay?" She sighed and walked past Nico, about to make her way to the studio. She turned and focused her vision forward, and walked down the stairs.

Meanwhile, outside, Nico saw someone out of the corner of her eye. She sighed a bit and walked towards the person, letting her head hang low.

"Nozomi, what do you think I should do?" Nico asked, while Nozomi shuffled the cards around.

Nozomi gave a soft smile, "I don't know. That's for you to decide."

"But how am I supposed to decide anything? We'll never get along, and I know that… I mean, look at what just went on, how am I supposed to approach her again after that?"

Nozomi shrugged, "Care to have the cards take a shot?"

Nico sighed, nodding in defeat, while Nozomi gave another soft smile. She shuffled through the cards one more time, before holding the stack carefully back at Nico. Nico took a deep breath, and grabbed the card at the top of the deck.

She looked at it, with confusion on her face, and Nozomi looked at the card, "The reversed fool."

 _ **Hello again guys! Yes, sadly this chapter is about 500 words shorter than the last one, but I felt like that area was a really good place to end. If you want to know what's so big about the reversed fool, I'll copy the link below to check out if you want. I feel as if that would be really really good for Nico in this story, so I made sure to add it in! It'll have major effects in the next chapter.**_

 ** _I hope you guys enjoyed!_**

Tarrot card meaning: tarot-card-meanings/major-arcana/fool/


	3. Reversed Nine of Swords

_**Welcome to this EXTRA angsty chapter! WARNING FOR ALL YOU HATESHIPPERS; There's**_ _ **past**_ _ **NozoNico in this. Like, Descriptive NozoNico. Believe me, this will really contribute in the story. I unintentionally typed out the part- I only expected them to be friends. But- I consulted my wife about it, and she said that it was pretty good.**_

 _ **Also! I apologize on the fact that this took so long. I was very nervous about my art school starting again, and so I was nervous. Hopefully, you like this chapter (Even though the NozoNico reaches dangerous levels.) But, still, this chapter was probably my favorite to make, so I do hope you enjoy it! (Don't worry, Maki shows up.)**_

 _ **(PLEASE REMEMBER THE NOZONICO IS PAST TENSE, NOT PRESENT TENSE! Remember before you think that it's in the present! Thank you!)**_

Nico Yazawa was never the person to make people sad, or be sad. She wasn't really the person to be moping around her house, or the type of person to get into a depression. You would never see Nico Yazawa sad. If you were to, it wouldn't last long. She was optimistic, a goal-setter, and clever. Everyone knew that, of course. She wouldn't ever let anything stand in her way. But Nico did get sad. She could get sad over the smallest things, and she could dwell on it for a very, very long time. Her happy face hid all of this of course, so no one could really see through her. Except certain few, in which had known her for a long time, and knew how to get through her. There were only two people her entire life who were able to do that. Nozomi- which isn't surprising because she can do that to anyone, which Nico found slightly disturbing- and her father. Her father wasn't around to do that anymore, though.

Nico's father died three years ago, while she was a fourth year in middle school. It was a traumatic experience, and it was what drove her to be an idol. Going into that year, she had absolutely no intention of being an idol. She was a normal girl with a good group of friends. She was smart, she was funny, and she had a perfect life. She had a nice house, her baby brother had just been born, and she was the top in her class. Everything was going smoothly in her life.

Her father had always told her that he wanted her to be an idol, and how it was his dream when he was a teenager. He would show her idol videos, show her his old routines and lyrics to songs he created. Nico really never found it her calling, though. She was a lot more focused on acting, and possibly getting into a sport or something. Her mom wanted her to be a lawyer, but Nico knew that she wouldn't get far in those types of situations. But to Nico, her father was everything. So, she tried to look at idol videos, dances, and interviews that those idols would go through. To her, they weren't very interesting, but seeing the look on her father's face when he would walk into her room and see Nico watching an idol video- that was what she always wanted to look at that look. It made her feel like she was a success, like she could fulfill her father's desires and dreams for him, even though she didn't want to.

Nico and her father were, of course, very close. Every Friday they would go out and get ice cream, and have a huge dinner. Her siblings would be watched over by her mom while her and her dad went out and had a ball together. Even though Nico was in high school, she cherished those moments like no others. She promised that she would never forget them, and to this day, she still hasn't. Those moments were like sweet candy to her, something that could linger forever and she could still be happy thinking about it. But, of course, now she wasn't happy about it. Those memories, to her, made her feel incompetent. Like she was useless, nothing. But she chose to ignore it, except in those times it crept up on her.

Sometimes, around the time when her father died, Nozomi and Eli do something for her. They take her out to dinner or something, trying to get her into a good mood. While Nico really did appreciate it, going out made me more sad. She would sit in the restaurant, thinking about how her father should be with her instead. Looking at Nozomi and Eli's smiling faces just made it worse. They didn't know that it bothered her, and she didn't want to be rude. Nozomi, of course, wouldn't ever trust her when she's alone around the time of year. Nozomi wouldn't even let her go to the bathroom by herself, it was actually kinda creepy. But Nozomi couldn't trust her, that she wouldn't do anything drastic. Nico, of course, had never done anything drastic. Even if she tried, Nozomi would find her and make her stay at Nozomi's apartment until she was over the death for the time being.

Those couple of weeks were nice, but really nerve-wracking. Nico wouldn't be able to be alone for a second because of Nozomi. They even _bathed_ together. Nico couldn't call it annoying, though. To be honest, it was actually really nice to have someone look over you the way that Nozomi did. Nozomi wasn't the type of person to abandon hope, unless the cards told her to. She was what you would call a tad physic. It wasn't like she could tell the future, but her intuition was creepy. That was why Nico trusted her so much, though. Her tarot cards could probably do wonders.

In all honesty, Nico loved Nozomi. Nico wasn't in love with Nozomi, but she loved Nozomi. She owed so much to Nozomi, and if Nozomi hadn't existed, Nico probably would've been dead by now, along with her father. But Nozomi- Nozomi was the person who she could tell anything to. She could probably discuss her sex life while drinking tea with her. Nozomi had an open mind, was caring, and creative. She was beautiful, calm, and made everyone a better person. Really, Nozomi was the person that anyone could rely on. She was like the older sister Nico always needed, but never really got. Nozomi was family to Nico.

Nico loved Nozomi.

 _0o0_

 _The teacher walked into the classroom, making everyone quiet down. Nico, of course, was already quiet, but wasn't really paying attention. The teacher cleared her throat, and began to speak rather loudly, "Everyone! We have a new student in class today. Nozomi, would you please stand up?"_

 _Nico turned her head to the girl sitting behind her in class, She was tall, beautiful, and had a monotone look on her face. She took a deep breath, and began to introduce herself, "Hello, my name is Nozomi Tojo. I moved here from China, it will be a pleasure to work with you." She gave a quick bow, and sat down, as the teacher began to start class._

 _Nico raised her eyebrow at the girl behind her and shrugged it off, while the girl was staring intensely at Nico's back. She put her head on her hands, and sighed, before looking back up at the teacher again. Nico felt a bit irritated, like she was being watched or something. She shook it off, and looked back at the board._

 _She nodded off in the lesson, and was eventually rudely interrupted by the new girl standing next to her desk. Apparently, it was break, and Nozomi walked to her desk. Nozomi cleared her throat, and Nico looked up at her, slightly annoyed. But then, Nozomi smiled. Nico looked a bit confused, but Nozomi just let out a small chuckle._

" _Come on," she stated, rolling her eyes, "Anyway, I'm Nozomi. I'm happy to meet you, my only desk-mate._

 _Nico nodded, "Like-wise."_

 _Nozomi looked at her, a bit confused, "And you are?"_

" _Nico Yazawa, pleasure to make your acquaintance." Nico replied, looking up at the tall girl._

 _Nozomi smiled, "I usually don't really walk up to people, you know. But this time-" Nozomi tilted her head towards her desk, which had a weird deck of cards on it, "The cards told me to.'  
Nico looked at the cards, "You're into that type of stuff? Doesn't it seem… You know… fake?"  
Nozomi shook her head, "Of course not. I put all my trust in the cards. It's the only thing that really helps me get through moving so much."_

 _Nico nodded in understanding, "How often do you move?"_

 _Nozomi just shrugged, "I'll probably be gone again by April."_

 _Nico looked at her in astonishment, "Why? What's the point?"_

 _Nozomi smiled to herself, "I don't really know. My mom has a lot of travel work, she's an international trader. My dad, he always goes with her. He's a social worker, he can find work anywhere," She gave a soft laugh, "As for me, I don't ever really do anything. In fact, it's a surprise the cards told me to do this. I've never had many- or really any friends. My social skills are a bit rusty, to be honest."_

 _Nico raised an eyebrow, "You're in seventh grade and you've never had a friend?"_

 _Nozomi nodded, a blush forming on her face, "Yeah…"_

" _Doesn't it get lonely?" Nico looked down at her desk._

 _Nozomi nodded, "Extremely."_

 _Nico rolled her eyes and stood up, "Look, I'll be your friend. Just…" She sighed, looking at Nozomi's expectant face, "Don't bother me when I'm busy, alright?"_

 _Nozomi smiled, "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?"_

 _Nico became flustered, "W-What's that supposed to mean!?"_

 _Nozomi laughed, "Nothing, Nico. Nothing."_

o0o

" _Nico, listen to me." Nozomi sat in front of Nico on her bed, holding Nico by her shoulders as Nico's head hung low, "Don't listen to them, okay? They mean nothing."_

" _That video has seventy thousand views, Nozomi. People in the comments are talking about how stupid I am, and how idiotic I look. How can I just not listen?" Nico replied, not moving from her previous position, "How can I just stay positive? Is it really that fucking easy?"_

 _Nozomi bit her lip, and looked down. She took her hands off of Nico, and looked down at the bedding. She took a deep breath, and pushed on, "At least you still have some friends, right?"_

 _Nico cleared her throat, "No, I don't. You're my only friend, Nozomi."_

 _Nozomi looked at the other girl in astonishment, "Really? But everyone loves you! How could you lose all your friends?"_

 _Nico shrugged, "Maybe because everyone hates me and they feel like I'm social suicide. It's not like they're wrong, though."_

 _Nozomi looked offended, "They are wrong! Nico- No one can ever say that about you! You made me the person I am today!"_

 _Nico gave a sad laugh, "Just stop. I'm pathetic, Nozomi. I'm trying too hard to get people to like me, that it completely backfired." She let out a shaky breath, "No one would want to be around me, I'm the fucking laughing stock of our entire school. Everyone's abandoned me, Nozomi. It's not that fucking easy anymore. The only people I have in my life anymore is you, and my dad. My dad's health is failing, and I don't even know if you'll move anytime soon…" Nico's eyes began to swell with tears, and she sniffed, trying to keep them all in, "Everyone's leaving me…" She tried to hold back her sobs as she took deep breaths, "Soon enough, I'm going to be alone."_

 _Nozomi took a deep breath, and embraced Nico, digging her head into the crook of Nico's neck. She breathed in the other girl's scent, and let out a sob. Nico sat there in astonishment of Nozomi's actions. Nozomi let out heavy sobs onto Nico, letting the tears make her back wet, but letting it all out. Nico's body felt weak, and she broke. She held Nozomi close, letting everything out. She was sobbing heavily, letting her emotions spill out of her, and onto Nozomi. All the anger, fear, and betrayal spilled out, letting her emotions have a fit._

 _It was the same for Nozomi. She was almost screaming onto Nico, it was so bad. She was having a breakdown from her normal, composed, mysterious self. All of the feelings of loneliness and regret broke her down. Her shell broke out to Nico, and she wouldn't ever be able to get it back on. She could feel Nico letting out her emotional stress onto Nozomi, and that just made Nozomi cry harder. Her only friend, the one that meant everything to her, was so deep into her despair, it almost made her feel as if that was the only thing Nico had even known._

 _After a couple of minutes, they released each other, and looked at each other with their puffy eyes. Nozomi gave a soft laugh, and sniffed. Nico smiled, embracing Nozomi once again, letting her arms snake around the taller one's neck. Nozomi hugged back, and they stayed like that for a little while, enjoying the other's company. Nico leaned out, and looked at Nozomi, whose eyes were still puffy from tears. She leaned in, letting their foreheads touch, and Nozomi pushed back, letting her eye shut._

" _You're not pathetic, Nico. You're not pathetic in any way. If someone ever says anything bad about you, I'll kick their ass." Nozomi whispered to Nico. She could feel Nico smiling back at her statement._

" _Nozomi, if you ever feel alone, always know that you aren't. Remember that I'm always there, even if I'm not physically in front of you. Always. Wherever you move, whenever you move. I'm always going to be with you." Nico whispered back, making Nozomi smile._

" _Nico." Nozomi spoke, keeping her position._

" _Yes?" Nico replied, with a smile on her face._

 _Nozomi leaned in, and their lips connected, leaving Nico breathless. Nico felt weak, like her whole body was in an ethereal state. She leaned back into Nozomi, letting her arms connect back with the other girl's neck, pulling the two closer together. Nozomi brought her hands to the sides of Nico's head, and carefully undid her small red bows, letting her hair flow down and touch her shoulders. Nozomi let her hand slide through the smaller one's hair, which made Nico get shivers down her spine. Nozomi smlied at her actions, and took off her own twin tails- not like it made much of a difference anyway._

 _At last, Nico pulled away, keeping her eyes closed. Nozomi's eyes were open, and she stared at the girl, expectant to see her reaction. As if on cue, Nico's mouth turned into a grin, and she gave a short laugh, opening her eyes, and looking up at Nozomi, who already had a huge grin on her face. The two began to laugh at their previous action, and sighed._

" _I can't even believe that just happened." Nico commented, brushing a hand through her hair._

 _Nozomi laughed a bit, "I know. That was a crazy move for me."_

 _She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear in embarrassment, and Nico just giggled, "I do have to say, though." She looked back at Nozomi, who looked flustered and confused, she smiled at the girl, "That was the best thing that's happened to me in a while."_

 _Nozomi's face lit up. She gave a quick laugh, and looked at Nico. Nico looked back, and leaned in, connecting their lips once more._

o0o

" _You know- I heard that she's a lesbian."_

" _Yeah, I heard that to. Isn't she dating that girl? Tojo?"_

" _Someone said they were caught making out in the bathroom."_

" _Ew! Why would a girl like a girl? That's just gross."_

" _Let's stay away from her, she's probably going to try to hit on us."_

" _She's disgusting."_

 _Nozomi turned around the corner of the hall, and quickly, turned away from their sight, listening to what they were saying._

" _Nico was already a horrible person, anyway. It's not a surprise that she ended up being a lesbian too."_

" _I thought Nozomi had so much potential, she was a smart girl."_

" _Nico probably manipulated her or something."_

" _Yeah, sounds like it. She's super bossy anyway."_

" _It's good that at least that Nozomi likes her, no one else does."_

 _Nozomi gave an irritated sigh, and stepped out into the hallway in front of the six girls. She walked up to them, and looked them directly in the eyes, with a serious look on her face. She took a deep breath and gave another irritated sigh._

" _Listen, girls. Yes, Nico Yazawa and I are a couple. She is not disgusting, she will not hit on you, and we most certainly do not make out in the bathroom." The girls looked at Nozomi with fear in their eyes, "Don't ever make any comments on Nico again. You got it? You don't know her the way I do. And if you did, you wouldn't ever say those things about her." The girls all nodded and Nozomi turned away, "Now, if I hear anymore of this, I will report it to the principal. This is a love-friendly school- you can't get out of saying things like that." She waved from behind her and began to walk towards the roof._

 _The six girls looked at her, then at each other, and rolled their eyes._

 _As Nozomi walked out of the group's sight, she began to frantically run up to the roof. She mumbled small curses under her breath as she continued to run up the numerous steps, until she made it onto the roof. When she slammed the door open, she saw Nico standing up, looking on the ground of the school. She took deep breaths, and made her way to Nico, who was silent._

" _Nozomi, do you believe me now?" She asked, taking her view away from the ground and staring at Nozomi, with tears in her eyes. Nozomi stumbled towards her, and stood in front of the other girl, nodding. Nico looked back, "Disgusting, am I?"_

 _Nozomi stepped towards her, "You're not-"_

" _I am, Nozomi. I am. I'm worthless. I'm gross. My whole life was a fucking mistake. I was a mistake. My parents had me when they were twenty. I was a mistake, and therefore my life is a mistake. And there's nothing I can fucking do to fix it."_

 _Nozomi looked at Nico, slightly afraid, "Nico-"  
_ " _My dad died ten minutes ago, Nozomi. How great is life now, hm? I can't fix this..." She sniffed, trying to hold back tears, "Can't I?"_

 _Nozomi was silent. She stood in shock as she watched Nico run back into the building and out of the front entrance. Nico was running faster than she had in her entire life. She was panicking, probably about to do something drastic. And Nozomi just stood there. She didn't run after her, she just stood there._

 _Until it finally hit her._

 _This was the end._

 _Reversed Nine of Swords._

o0o

Maki sat at her piano in the studio, letting her fingers glide mindlessly across the keys. She plunked on random notes, creating random melodies, and writing it down- which was normal during her practice sessions. But as hard as she tried, she just couldn't get what she did to Nico out of her mind. It was a look of terror, like Nico had been called it before. It was like some sort of trigger, or something. She was surprised that Nozomi didn't leave knowing how close the two were to each other. Nozomi would've probably only been the one to run, knowing about the bond between the two. Maki just didn't get it. She didn't understand why Nozomi didn't run. And though it shouldn't have, it frustrated her so much that she couldn't get the answer

She heard a knock on the door, and turned towards it, realizing it was her director. She nodded to let him in, and he entered the room, looking at the girl curiously.

"You seem to be conflicted." He stated, taking a sip of his coffee.

Maki raised an eyebrow, "Conflicted?"

Her director nodded, taking another sip of his coffee, "You're thinking about something that's bothering you, are you not?" Maki just nodded, starting at the keyboard. The director sighed, "We can't have you being distracted right now, Maki. You know that."

Maki nodded, "Yeah- I know. Competition is in four weeks."

Her director nodded, "You really need to be practicing that piece. You don't put enough emotion into it. Have you been practicing that?"

Maki nodded once more, "Yes, I've been trying as hard as I can. I'm not very good at this type of soft emotion."

The director nodded in agreement, "Yes, I know. It's supposed to be a love song."

Maki's eyes grew wide as she bounced forward slightly, "Wait-What? But- But you know I'm horrible at love songs we have thoroughly gone over this."

The director nodded once again, "Yes, I know. But we've always ever done happy songs, songs that are pop and that will make the crowd happy. So, I was thinking, let's slow it down. Shall we?"

Maki took a deep breath, "You see, sir. My idol group is also performing a love song, in which I write the instrumental for. I don't see how I'm going to play both love songs, when I can't even write one."

The director shrugged, "That won't be hard."

Maki sighed, "For me, it will."

The director sighed, "Listen, Maki. Let me tell you something." He cleared his throat and sat down on a nearby seat, "Maki, everyone's been in love at least once in their life at your age. Everyone. If not, well, they've probably been close to it, or had been in love and didn't accept the fact that they're in love. When I was your age, I was in love with my- now- wife. I didn't think I was in love with her, and I never even would've guessed off the top of my head that we would've ever married and had kids. But me- I was denying it. Maki, I can tell that you're close." Maki began to blush, and was about to protest, but her director cut her off, "You just need to take one step, Maki. Just one. If you take one step, you'll be able to master this piece, and write the love song. So, think about it. Think about the person you would never think you'd ever be in love with, and that's probably who it is."

Maki watched her director exit the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts and her piano. She stared at the keys, and thought about it. _Who could I never love, ever…_ A certain person flashed into her mind, but instead of assuming, she was curious. Later that night, while she was eating dinner with Nico in their shared room, Maki decided to pop the question.

"Hey, Nico. Have you ever been in love?"

 _ **BADABOOM. New chapter. I really really liked writing this, so I hope you liked reading it! Please remember, this is only IN THE PAST. THIS IS NOT IN THE PRESENT. Thank you! I hope you enjoyed!**_


	4. She had fallen in love

_**Hello everyone~This chapter took me a lot of time, I had so much writers block and had to rewrite sections of the story sooooo many times. In the end, I'm satisfied. It was worth it.**_

 ** _Also! Some news! I'm going to be at Otakon! If you would like to meet up with me, there's a love live photoshoot at 1:15pm on Friday on the third floor terrace. I will be in Eli cosplay- in her Kira Kira Sensation outfit. If you would like to meet up with me after that, or another day, contact me in advance please!_**

 ** _Anyway, enjoy this chapter!_**

Nico almost choked on her food, "Wh-What?"

Maki sighed and rolled her eyes, annoyed at the fact that she had to repeat herself, "Have you ever been in love? Like- with anyone?"

Nico cleared her throat and gave a fake little laugh, "O-Of course not… No one is good enough for me- Nico Yazawa!"

Maki kicked Nico lightly off the bed, causing Nico to begin whining like crazy. Maki groaned, and helped her back onto the bed, "But- seriously. Anyone?"

Nico shook her head, "I'm telling you the truth- I've never been in love."

Maki bit her lip and sighed, playing with her food, "I was reeeaally counting on you to give me a really long and sappy love story there."

Nico laughed, "Psh- Of course not. Do you actually think anyone would even consider dating me?"

Maki laughed awkwardly and looked away, "Yeah…" They stayed silent for a little longer, before Maki spoke up once more, "Do you know anyone who would have a sappy love story?"

Nico shrugged, not looking up from her food, "Probably Nozom- Actually no! No, not Nozomi! Don't ask Nozomi okay?" Nico gave a suspicious laugh.

Maki's nodded, keeping her gaze forward. The two girls continued eating in silence, both of them not really feeling like disturbing each other as Nico browsed the web on her laptop and Maki texted on her phone. After the two were done eating, Nico gathered the dishes and walked into the kitchen to put them in the dishwasher. Maki took that advantage to change into her pajamas- which the family driver graciously provided for her stay there- and crawled into bed, still scrolling through any social media on her phone. Not long after, Nico crawled in next to her and turned off the lamp light, leaving the two alone with the only light illuminating from Maki's phone.

Nico rolled over and pressed Maki's phone off, "Maki, I have something to ask you too."

Maki raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Well, ask away."

"Well," Nico stated, rolling back over, "Have you ever been in love?"

Maki had to hold back a sarcastic laugh, "Me? Really? In love? If I had ever been in love I wouldn't be asking for a sappy love story."

Nico scoffed, "A lot of teenage girls that look for sappy love stories are in love with some guy, I just assumed you could've been one of them."

Maki rolled her eyes, "Love is stupid anyway."

Nico sat up in the bed, and looked like she was about to punch the other girl, "You don't know anything about love you piece of shit!"

Maki crossed her arms, "And _you_ do? You just clearly stated just a few minutes ago that you've never even been in love."

Nico fell onto her back, and stared at the ceiling, "It probably wasn't love- hey, just forget it."

Maki rolled her eyes and began to drift off to sleep, determined to see Nozomi tomorrow at school. Even though Nico said not to, she could tell that the girl was hiding something. In order to see what it was, and to learn the songs, she would have to dig in _deep_ to find out this secret Nico was hiding. After that, she would have to learn all of Nico's secrets. And while that would probably take up a majority of her time, she was determined to do it. For some reason, she hadn't the slightest idea why she even _wanted_ to know- but she knew one thing for sure.

She was going to solve this weird mystery of Nico Yazawa.

The next day went as normal, except Nozomi wasn't there.

Or the day after that.

Or the day after that.

Kotori wasn't there either. According to Umi, Kotori and Nozomi were having this weird 'spiritual adventure' in the mountains or something, which meant that they weren't going to be there for a week.

Terrific.

Just.

Terrific.

Nozomi was a very mysterious girl, and she had a lot of background on Nico for some odd reason. Maki just automatically assumed that they were childhood friends, and Nozomi lived through all of it with her. Sooner or later, that's what she was probably going to be told.

Eventually, Nozomi and Kotori returned from their spiritual adventure, looking very, very tired. Kotori, though, seemed very fulfilled- and slightly more confident. Maki just shrugged it off, not really caring one way or another. Her and Kotori weren't close, anyway. Maki was happy for the girl, of course, but the sudden personality change scared her.

Well, slightly.

The day after the two returned, Maki had set herself up for a huge let down after school. She was totally prepared for Nozomi to have no clue what she was talking about and walk away awkwardly. But she was still going to try. After practice that afternoon, Maki asked for Nozomi to stay after so that Maki could talk to her.

Nozomi drank from her water bottle, and looked up at Maki, who was standing with her arms crossed. She gave a small sigh, "What do you want to talk about-"

"Has Nico ever been in love?" She asked, cutting Nozomi off.

Nozomi gave a sad smile, and just nodded, "Yes, she has."

Maki then sat down in front of Nozomi with her legs crossed, "Give me details."

"Well," Nozomi started twiddling her thumbs, "When we were in eighth grade or so…" She took a deep breath, and continued, "Nico and I dated. For a year." Maki almost spit out her water with an astonished look on her face. Nozomi giggled at the girls reaction, and continued, "Hard to believe, I know. But… I was new. I had no friends. The cards told me to talk to her. She became my friend. She later then was made fun of because of a humiliating video of her, she lost all of her friends, except for me. During that, her dad's health was failing, and she was very close to her father. Girls at school would call us disgusting, gross, and treat us like we were pieces of trash because we were in love, and together. The day that Nico's dad died, I saw Nico when she found out. She ran out of the building, and I didn't do anything. I stood there, and didn't help her. You know why, Maki?" Maki shook her head, waiting for the other girl to continue. "Because she threw me into her problems. I, only doing what the cards told me, knew our love was going to end soon. So, when the end came, I accepted it. And didn't do anything. And that's the end of that."

Maki looked at her, wide eyed, "You only dated her because the _cards_ told you to?"

Nozomi nodded, "Yes. Because I trusted the cards. I hope I did what I was supposed to."

"You didn't." Maki and Nozomi turned towards the door, to see Nico standing there, with her hands clenched in a fist, "You didn't do what you were supposed to. _You_ left me abandoned at the hospital, looking at my dead father. _You_ sent me into a spiraling depression. And _you're_ the reason that I can't trust anyone anymore."

Nozomi raised her eyebrow, instead of looking mad, "Oh? Should that be a problem? You didn't put up any effort to talk to me."

"That's because my dad was dead!" She yelled in an alarming pitch, "If you even actually _cared_ about me in the slightest, you would've made sure I was alright, which I wasn't."

Nozomi sighed, slightly irritated, "Is that even my fault? I couldn't have fixed your problems even if I tried."

"You could've at least pretended to care! You didn't talk to me for two years after the incident _. Two years._ You can't even argue with me at this point, so why do you keep trying?"

Nozomi shrugged at Nico's comment, "I feel as if you're over reacting."

Maki stood up, "Listen, both of you. Nozomi, what you did was a horrible thing. Accept it. That's not what love is about, and you know it. Stop trying to stand up for yourself and accept the fact that you did something wrong." Maki then turned to Nico, and while she tried to restrain taking sides, she really had to agree with Nico, "You… You're putting too much on Nozomi. You have to admit that you should've made an effort to fix things, even through depression, if you really cared, you would've tried." She sighed and looked at both of the girls, "Nozomi, stay here. Do whatever you want to do. Go home. Nico," She paused, and grabbed Nico by the wrist, "Come with me."

"Maki, I really don't want to go anywhere." Nico said, trying to restrain from Maki pulling her in the building.

Maki shooshed her, "Just follow me."

Nico let Maki drag her without restraint this time, letting Maki do whatever business she wants with her. Nico assumed that they were going to go home, or to some restaurant. And while Nico really didn't want to do that, she didn't think Maki would be the type of person to talk about this type of thing over tea. She thought that after what Maki just saw, she could actually open up to her a bit more instead of just putting on the whole, 'I'm perfect and I have no problems!' act. It get's tiring after a while anyway.

Maki lead Nico into the indoor practice room that they almost never used. She sat down in the middle of the room, crossing her legs as she sat on the ground. Nico sat in front of her, expectant of what was going to happen between the two of them.

Maki looked intensely at Nico, "Tell me everything."

Nico leaned back, a bit hesitant and confused, "What?"

Maki leaned in, trying to keep the distance between the two small, "I want you to tell me everything about you. I want to know your life story. Everything good in your life, everything bad, everything you regret, and everything that you wish you could experience again. I want to know your plans for the future, what you're feeling right now, _everything._ "

Nico took a shaky breath, trying to compose herself, "Promise you won't think I'm weird?" Maki nodded, staring at her more intensely than before. Nico leaned back in, hanging her head slightly, "Fine. Just promise me that you won't talk about me behind my back if you think I'm weird."

Maki nodded, "I promise," Leaning out again, she smiled at the smaller girl, "Who do you think I would tell anyway?'

Nico rolled her eyes, "You have no idea how many people would just tell random people."

With a deep breath, Nico began to tell the other girl everything. It took a long time- but Maki continued listening. She didn't interrupt her, she didn't look bored, Nico wasn't even sure if she was breathing the entire time. But nonetheless, she continued to spill out her emotions to Maki, letting all the tense feelings between the two subside. Nico knew that Maki would probably tell everyone in their idol group about how she probably needed mental health or something, but she was too far into draining that she wouldn't be able to stop and reconsider her decision. And besides, Maki promised she wouldn't tell, and Nico believed her.

While Maki was listening intently, her mind did wander off in the way that Nico looked while describing. She used her body to describe the situations she was in, moving around constantly to really explain to the other girl the situations. She explained everything that's happened in so much detail, Maki was slightly envious that Nico had the capability to speak this descriptively. The emotion she put in her words and her facial expressions could almost make Maki melt, how she could just dive into her emotions and spill everything so easily. It made Maki just want to dive into Maki's words, letting the density of the words flow around her body, she couldn't even describe it correctly. It just made her feel moved.

After quite a while, Nico finally finished. It was dark outside the huge windows in the practice room, and the two girls were both sitting there, looking at each other while Maki was on the verge of tears. Even Nozomi wasn't _that_ emotional about the story. That's also probably Nico didn't tell her in so much detail- she didn't even tell her the entire thing. But still, Maki was being very dramatic about the story

Nico bashfully smiled a bit at Maki's reaction, seeing how emotional the girl was, "Maki, it wasn't that-"

"Nico, please." Maki grabbed the girl's wrist, "It's not funny how emotionless you are about this." Nico raised her eyebrow, but Maki continued to stare at her with pleading eyes, "Please- please just stop pretending not to care."

Nico took a shaky breath, and sighed, "Maki- I'm not sure I know how to do that."

"Just," Maki's face was only inches away from the other girls, "Look at me."

Nico looked up at the girl, "What?"

Maki smiled, "It's okay."

That's when Nico broke. She fell apart onto Maki, letting her weight fall onto the other girl. Maki grabbed the other girl tightly, letting her body tense up comfortably, while still supporting the girl. Nico wasn't even sure if she was crying or not- she couldn't feel anything. The only thing she could feel was Maki's body, and her warmth. She could feel Maki rubbing her hand slowing on her back, comforting the girl. After a couple of minutes, Nico looked up to see Maki still there, still comforting here.

Nico sat up in front of the girl, and laughed, "I'm pretty pathetic, aren't I?"

Maki smiled, "Yeah, you are. But believe me- I am too."

Nico sniffed, smiling back at Maki, "I guess we can be pathetic together."

"Haven't we been doing that for two weeks?" Maki asked, brushing her hair behind her ear.

Nico smiled at the ground at Maki's statement. She let out a tuff of air,that formed into a small laugh. Maki looked at the girl questionably, but Nico just sighed and stared at the ceiling, letting her eyes drift shut as she rested her head in a comfortable position.

"I'm so glad Honoka suggested this." Nico said, curling up into a small ball, "I'm so, so happy that we put up with that short while. I'm so happy I broke on you. I'm so happy that you comforted me. I'm just-" She sniffed, "I'm just full of ecstasy, Maki. And it's all because of you." She smiled at the other girl, "Thank you."

Maki felt a shiver go up her spine, "You, uh, you're welcome?"

Nico just laughed. With a small sigh, she shifted her body towards the other girl again, staring her in the eyes. She sniffed, trying to get the snot to stay in her nose. Maki stared back at the girl, enjoying the comfortable silence between the two. Maki studied the girl thoroughly, looking at the details of her hair shining in the moonlight, her blood red eyes digging into the other girl. She could feel the warming aura surrounding the girl, the happiness that it brings intoxicated the girl. And her smile- god her smile, it could do wondrous things.

Maki smiled, "We should get going, Nico. Your siblings are probably waiting."

Nico nodded, "Yeah," She didn't move, she just stared at the ceiling, "Remember that time earlier this week? With the kids?"

Maki recalled clearly, "Yeah." She thought of the memory once more.

o0o

" _Girls! Just in time, I have a favor for you." Nico's mom asked the two girls on a Sunday morning._

 _Nico looked up from the TV, "Yeah mom?"_

" _I need you two to watch the children. Just for a day, okay? I really need to do contracting for work, and I can't bring kids. It would be really great!" And with that, she walked out the door, leaving the two girls sitting there, with a tedious job at hand._

 _Maki sighed, "Is this really necessary?"_

 _Nico groaned, "Believe me, it's important. It's not too hard either. I'm gonna take a shower, 'kay? I'll be out in a few."_

 _Maki nodded, leaving herself alone in the living room. She turned off the TV, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She was very, very annoyed at the fact that she had to be around three little kids the entire day- especially since she was going to use today to practice the most she could before the competition. But, being as busy as Nico's mom was, it wasn't a surprise that she had to leave._

 _Maki sighed, and stood up. She walked over to the sibling's room, opening the door as she approached it. The three kids were still asleep- which wasn't a surprise, it was only eight in the morning. Maki rolled her eyes and shut the door softly behind her. She brushed her bangs back, making them fall back onto her face. With a grunt of annoyance, she sat back on the couch, continuing her book._

Nico laughed at the thought, "The grocery store was a nightmare."

Maki shook her head, "Why did you think it was good idea to let all of them in the cart?"

Nico sighed, smiling, "It's what they wanted."

o0o

" _We just need ingredients for lunch, don't get too excited- Cotaro!" Nico quickly got distracted from her train of thought, chasing her brother who was aiming for the ice cream section._

 _Maki just rolled her eyes and pushed the cart, following the two in the direction they were heading. Cocoa and Cocoro were trailing behind her, staring at her intently. Maki felt very uncomfortable about that, of course, but she didn't question the small girls. She let them do their own thing- she just pushed the cart and pointed out the necessary items they needed. Maki didn't really want to be there- she'd rather be at home watching japanese dramas with Nico- but she knew that Nico's mother was super busy- she could connect to that- and that she needed all the help that she could get._

 _Maki really did pity the children. They barely had a mother-like figure, and didn't have a fatherly figure at all. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like without knowing that you could call someone in case of an emergency or something. Maki didn't really know much for herself either- her parents were always away on business trips. Maki had her butlers and maids, though, as well as her escorts. They were her parental figures._

 _She didn't exactly know what family was like._

" _Miss Maki, are you alright?" Cocoa called from behind her._

" _Oh- What? I'm sorry, I got lost in my train of thought for a second there." Maki cleared her throat, attempting to keep the redness from spreading to her cheeks in embarrassment._

" _Nico told me to meet her and Cotaro in the meats section, can we go now?" She asked politely._

 _Maki cleared her throat and nodded, making her way to the meats section as directed. As she assumed, Nico was standing there with Cotaro in her arms. Even though Cotaro was two, she still treated him like a newborn baby. Nico looked up from the meats to meet the three girls, and with a soft groan, she put her brother down into the cart. Maki stared at her for a second, and then at Cotaro, then back at Nico._

 _Nico stared back intensely, "What? The only way I could calm him down is to let him ride in the cart."_

 _With that statement, an angry Cocoro pulled at her older sister's skirt hem, "Sis! If he can ride in the cart, can I too?"_

 _Nico looked up at Maki uneasily, but Maki just rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, you can. Try not to mess with anything, 'kay?" Nico picked up her younger sister and plopped her into the cart, looking at the face of joy on the smaller girl._

 _Cocoa looked at Maki, then at her siblings, then back at Maki. The older girl rolled her eyes, and with a soft groan, picked up Cocoa, putting her down in the cart with the rest of her siblings. Nico eyed Maki uneasily again, almost to ask if it was alright. Maki just nodded, and sighed._

" _Sis, don't we still need to get the food?" Cocoro asked, grabbing onto the edge of the cart._

 _Nico nodded, "Yeah, sorry just got distracted by you rascals." She brushed the top of her younger sister's head, and returned to meat shopping._

 _As things in the cart piled up one by one, Maki found it harder and harder to get around. The extra weight of the kids wasn't helping- neither was the fact that they wanted to buy so many desserts. Maki could barely push the cart once they were at checkout. Her arms ached like never before- even after all that practice she goes through with the idol group. Nico felt bad for the redhead, but she tried not to care too much about it in fear that Maki would notice and never let her down._

 _As they pulled up to the checkout line, Maki could barely feel her arms. Nico sighed, "Just load things from the cart, I'll take care of the children." Maki groaned, but did as the girl said, and loaded the items onto the line._

o0o

"I can't believe you pushed that many things- including the kids." Nico said, thinking of the amusing memories, "I could tell you were in pain."

Maki scoffed, "Yeah- you think? They were so fucking heavy-"

"Maki, such language." Nico cut her off, but the two just laughed together.

Maki sighed, brushing her hair behind her ear, "I have to thank your wonderful training sessions. Making me hold my hands up in the air and saying your stupid- I mean, lovely, catchphrase for like twenty minutes every day paid off."

Nico rolled her eyes, "The park was a nice experience, though."

o0o

" _Miss Maki, Miss Maki! Push me, push me!" Cocoa yelled, climbing onto the swing._

 _Maki smiled at the girl, and dropped her purse on the bench next to Nico. She walked up behind Cocoa, and begin to push the girl lightly, making sure not to hurt her. She was laughing her head off, kicking her legs into the air._

" _I'm flying! Nico, I'm flying!" She yelled to her sister on the park._

" _Reach the clouds for me, Cocoa!" Nico yelled back, looking at her younger sister lovingly._

 _Maki smirked at Nico, who just smirked back. They stared at each other for a moment, Maki stepping back to let Cocoa fly on her own. Nico just shook her head, looking back up at the sky. The sky had turned into a beautiful shade of orange over the city of Akiba. It was seven thirty in the evening, and the sun was just setting. Nico sighed and closed her eyes, letting her head stay in the position it was in._

" _Sissss! Come play with me on the rock climbing wall!" Nico lifted her head and opened her eyes to see her youngest sister, Cocoro, climbing up the rock climbing wall._

 _Nico panicked at the sight of it. She quickly ran over to the structure and held her arms under the girl, "Cocoro, if you fall, I got you, 'kay?"_

 _Cocoro just laughed at her sister's comment, obviously mocking her for some strange reason. Maki rolled her eyes, and continued to push Cocoa. Nico looked at Maki from the corner of her eye, and that's when she saw it. Maki was looking straight at her, and smiling. Like, a sincere, actual smile. Nico was so overjoyed, she almost ran over and tackled the girl with hugs, but she was, unfortunately, smothered in her sister, who had fallen on top of her. Cocoro was laughing, and so was Maki, until the Cocoa swung back and hit Maki in the face, causing her to fall over._

 _Nico groaned loudly, "Maki, you okay?" She stood up and walked over to Maki, peering over her body lying on the ground. She reached an arm out to help the other girl up._

 _Maki groaned back, "Yeah- I think I'm good." She took Nico's hand and pulled herself back up, feeling a wave of heat go to her face._

 _Nico tried to hold back a laugh, "Maki, your nose is bleeding."_

 _Maki panicked, "Oh, what!? This has never happened before what do I do-"_

 _Nico couldn't restrain her laugh this time, "Maki, calm down. Let's get back home and we can get you some tissues. Just plug your nose and lean your head back, I'll direct you to where we need to go."_

 _Maki nodded and did what Nico said, feeling a wave of embarrassment flood over her. The blush on her face was not helping the nosebleed in anyway. Nico couldn't help but laugh at the other girl, seeing how embarrassed she was. Nico just sighed. She called out to her siblings and they all went back to the apartment together._

o0o

"That was the first time you smiled at me," Nico stated, messing with one of her twintails.

Maki looked up, "What? I've smiled at you many more times than that."

Nico shook her head, "No, I mean like, you smiled at me for real. You were smiling because of me- or something." Maki looked confused, but Nico just smiled, "I couldn't believe it. That's why I didn't catch Cocoro, you know. I was just… locked in."

Maki's face turned into a bright red at Nico's statement. She felt flustered, almost like she couldn't breathe, "Y-Yeah?"

Nico shook her head and looked at the ground, "I don't know. It just felt nice." She looked back at Maki, "You should smile more often, you know. Your smile is beautiful."

Maki could scream, "I- Thank you."

Nico smiled, "You're welcome, but I was just telling the truth. You're pretty perfect, you know. I understand why people like you so much," Nico sighed, but it wasn't a sad sigh, almost one full of passion, "You're weird, it's fascinating."

Those words struck Maki. In that moment, she could finally see what she had been missing. The way that Nico looked, the moonlight shining through the window hitting her hair perfectly, the way her eyes just sparkled- everything about her was mesmerizing to the red-head. She wanted to reach out and hold Nico again- she wanted to rewind the moment. She knew, that it had finally happened.

She had fallen in love.

 ** _Maki is from now on thirsty for Nico whoops. Anyway, the whole spiritual journey was a filler, but I've decided to make it part of the separate stories as well. Look forward to the companions to this story having the spiritual adventure in more detail soon!_**

 ** _Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be all about Maki, and will feature Rin frequently! Maki will start to realize how thirsty she is for Nico- she'll be like a jealous girlfriend all the time. It'll be very sweet, I promise._**

 _ **Thank you for reading!**_


	5. Stressful

_**Wow, chapter five already. Thank you guys so much for all your support on this story! I'm still a super young writer, so all your helpful reviews make it better for me to write!**_

 _ **I think I said I would but a jealous Maki in this chapter, but I thought the plot point you're about to read will be better! Next chapter, and I swear this, will have jealous Maki. I've already written some of it, and the first thing there is is Maki being the jealous salt-bucket she was meant to be.**_

 ** _Please enjoy this chapter! I tried to get some more inspiration over Otakon, but the entire weekend made me so fatigued and the after-con depression hit super hard. Anyway, I tried my best on this chapter! Thanks!_**

"I can't be in love with her, I can't." Maki was pacing around the girl's shared bathroom, on the phone with a certain cat-like girl, "It's just weird. I hate her, you know!"

 _Rin scoffed, "Maki- everyone knows that you've probably had a thing for Nico since the beginning of time."_

Maki's face became red because of the girl's statement, "I swear- I have never been in love with that girl. That's just weird!"

" _Suuuuure Maki." Rin replied sarcastically._

" _Hey, are you talking to Maki?" Another voice on the phone- probably Eli's- asked._

" _Yeah! Need to talk to her?" Rin replied- back to her cheerful self._

Maki waited a second, hearing some shuffling on the other end before Eli finally got ahold of the phone, "What do you need?"

" _You in love yet?" She asked with an almost devious tone._

"No, I'm not-"

" _She iiiis!" She heard Rin's voice cutting her off in the phone call._

Maki rolled her eyes, "I'm not."

 _Eli smirked, "May I ask who? Who's the lucky man?"_

Maki tensed up at the word 'man'. Then, the toxic thoughts rushed through her head. What if Eli didn't accept it? What if it was against Eli's religion or something? Would she be kicked out of the group? She sighed, pushing back all of the negative thoughts.

"It's not necessarily…" Maki started, trying to choke out the words.

" _Not necessarily what? Not necessarily love?" Eli asked, sounding a bit sarcastic._

Maki sighed, "No… It's not necessarily…" She took a deep breath, calming her nerves, "It's not necessarily a guy."

After she said that, she couldn't hear Eli on the other end. With doubt filling her mind, she started to breathe heavily. She couldn't feel her legs, and her entire body was hot. The thoughts raced through her mind once more, creating more doubt just to fill up the spaces with any hope. _Eli probably thinks I'm weird. I'm going to be kicked out of the group. Everyone will think I'm disgusting, this is going to be hell tomorrow._

 _"Sorry, Honoka had a question about the bath. What did you say?" Eli's voice picked up again on the other line._

Maki gave a short sigh of relief, but sucked it in quickly so that Eli didn't become suspicious, "Nothing. I just asked if you were still on the line."

 _Eli seemed to believe it well enough, "Oh, okay. Anyway, we'll talk about who you like tomorrow. It better not be some celebrity or something!"_

Maki laughed a bit at her statement- even though Nico was kind of a celebrity. The phone shuffled a bit more as it was handed back to Rin. Maki waited a moment for Rin to speak up on the other line. She looked at herself in the full body mirror, messing with some small zits on her face. Maki didn't really appreciate her appearance, really. While a lot people would start wheezing over her figure, she just found it generally average. She didn't think that she had any redeeming physical features, her body was the normal body of an idol. She's met many fans that almost started crying when they gave her a hug or something, and while that was normal for an idol, it still made Maki super uncomfortable for people to cry over her.

After a second of silence on the line, Maki realized that Eli probably hung up the phone on accident or something. She gave a quick sigh of relief, not really wanting to talk to anybody anymore after that somewhat scarring experience. Eli didn't really seem like the type of person to really care whether someone was gay or not, but she was Russian. The people in Russia aren't very fond of them, as everyone knows. _But she's best friends with Nozomi_ , Maki thought to herself, _Doesn't Eli know about Nozomi and Nico's past?_

Pushing that thought out of her mind, she decided to go to the studio to really think about things. She opened the door to the bathroom, seeing Nico sitting on the door frame.

Nico looked up at the girl, and gave an annoyed expression, pulling out her earbuds, "Literally, what took you so long? You said you'd be out in a second. It's been like twenty minutes."

Maki's breath hitched, trying to think of a reason to be in the bathroom for so long. Excuses paced through her mind at an alarming rate, but she stuck on the most plausible one. While it was really embarrassing, she knew that Nico would most likely believe it.

"I was taking a shit, calm down." Maki said with a quick breath. Nico nodded, seeming to believe the girl. _She believed it, good_. "Hey," She called for Nico's attention. Nico looked up, paying attention to Maki, "I'm going to the studio now. I'll be back later."

Nico nodded, standing up, "Don't come back too late, try to be back before eleven. The kids should be back with my mom around then."

Maki shrugged, "Okay."

Nico looked at her for a second, but nodded it off, and walked into the bathroom. She shut the door behind her and turned on the shower, leaving Maki outside. The other girl didn't necessarily care, she just grabbed her stuff and left, heading straight for the studio.

As she made it to the train, she found herself a bit relieved to be alone. Sure, she loved Nico's company- like, a lot- but it'll be nice being alone for a change. The sun was still out above the city of Akihabara, barely inching it's way further and further down in the sky. The redhead was sitting on her train, looking out the window- out onto the horizon. While doing that, she pondered many things about herself, and her life.

Was she in love? Probably not. Love didn't feel like this- even she knew that. She felt so weighed down, like she was carrying so much baggage. It wasn't like anything she's ever felt before- it feels just so… weird. If this is what love was, she didn't want to be in love.

Maki sighed, she didn't know what to do with herself. If she were to attempt to write a love song, it would be tense and wouldn't run smoothly. Love isn't supposed to be stressful, right? Then why was it for her?

Maybe it wasn't love, maybe it was just in the moment. That's probably what it was, Maki isn't in love with Nico, it's ridiculous. First, she wasn't in any way gay. While females are very… pretty? She didn't find them attractive- she couldn't. Second, it's Nico. Nico probably would never date anyone again after what happened between her and Nozomi. Plus, after what's happened to her with the school girls, she wouldn't ever take the risk of being gay ever again. Maki had no luck to ever date Nico- or even feel what _real_ love was like.

As Maki arrived at her piano studio finally, she gave a short sigh of relief. She walked into the studio looking straight ahead, and not stopping until she went into her music room. She dropped her bag on a nearby chair, and sat at her lovely piano. She took a deep breath, and began to play. Not any song in particular, she just plucked random rhythms and notes onto the keyboard trying to find some inspiration.

Maki stopped once she heard her door open. She turned around to see her director standing there. He sat down on a nearby chair and crossed his legs, giving a small smile to the girl. Maki raised an eyebrow at him, looking slightly confused. He just laughed at the girl's reaction, and rested his head on his hands.

"Maki," he stated, dropping the smile on his face, "Have you practiced at all since the last time?"

Maki froze, the last time they were together was three days ago, and it was only Tuesday. On Sunday she had to take care of the children, and yesterday… well… 'that' happened.

She sighed, brushing her hair behind her ear, looking a bit flustered, "No, I'm sorry. I was extremely busy the last two days. I am also staying with a friend, she doesn't have a piano."

She hadn't practiced at home since she started staying with Nico, and she felt horrible about that. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it.

Her director sighed in disappointment, "Maki, the competition is in a week."

Maki nodded, "I know, sir. I'm terribly sorry."

Her director leaned back in his chair, "Everyday until the competition, after school, you must come here and practice for at least an hour and a half."

Maki nodded, understanding completely, "Yes sir."

Her director nodded her off, and walked out of the room, leaving Maki alone with her piano. Maki stared at the keys, letting herself think of inspiration. _Soft,_ Maki thought, leaning over the keys, _Caring, passionate, strong,_ Maki sighed, _Love._ Maki hit a key, then another one, then another one. She looked up at her piece that she had to play, then back at the keys. She closed her eyes, letting her brain work. _What's full of passion, who's caring, soft, but strong?_

The first thing that popped into her mind was Nico.

Maki looked back up at her music with determination. She kept Nico in her mind, and played the music. From that time on, she had Nico in her mind- in her memory. The feeling of her warmth, the touch of her skin, it was all expressed through Maki's fingers and onto her keyboard. She could feel her entire body release its tension, letting herself go.

As she finished the song, she looked at her hands on the keys, astonished. Apparently, her director behind her had the same exact reaction. He had just walked in, seeing how Maki was doing with the song that he knew she was having trouble with- but hearing _that_ made him realize it.

"You've discovered the secret behind this, haven't you?" He asked, taking a sip from his cup of coffee.

Maki flinched up at the sound of his voice, she turned around swiftly to look at his face, "Mister Taki- What secret?"

Taki sighed, "Maki, how do you suppose you played that well? How did you manage to imitate the dynamics in the piece so perfectly, while have not practiced three days?"

Maki shrugged, "I-I don't know…"

"You're lying," He threw his words back at her.

She began to tense up, "What? No- I'm really not, Mister Taki."

"What were you thinking of when you were playing?"

Maki looked down at the keys, trying to figure out some kind of lie, "Um…" She looked around the room a bit, before landing her eyes on the piece in front of her, "I was paying really close attention to the dynamics on the page- I was looking at it the entire time."

Taki sighed again, "You're lying again, I was watching you. Your eyes were closed the entire time. I saw you leaning to and fro to the melody."

Maki sighed shakily, "Okay- I was lying. I was thinking of something." Taki raised an eyebrow at her. Maki took a deep breath, and let it out, "I was thinking…" She thought on her toes, "Of my brother."

He looked at her with surprised expression, "Really? Didn't your brother-"

"Yes. He moved. To New York." Maki gave an annoyed sigh, "I don't want to talk about it."

Taki nodded, "Understood. Anyway, that was beautiful, I'm very surprised."

Maki cleared her throat, "Yeah- I guess."

Taki walked out of the room, leaving Maki alone with her piano. She looked at the keys, letting her head fall and rest on the keys. She groaned, letting the stress flow through her body. The competition was in a week, and she's just _now_ made it sound good. She would have to practice frequently to make it produce the sound it deserved.

She sat up, startled at the thought. She wouldn't be able to see Nico, her idol practice sessions would have to be cut down, and she would be coming home late. Maki took a shaky breath, and let it out, trying to calm herself. She looked at her music, closed her eyes, and began to play.

o0o

Nico sat in her room, staring at the clock on her computer. She sighed, pausing the song she was listening to. She leaned back in her chair, and unplugged her headphones, letting her computer speaker blast the music of her competitor, A-RISE. She judged their newest PV, looking at the choreography, studied their voices and their pitch, and cringed.

μ's would never live up to that type of potential. No matter how hard they tried, they would never get the amount of fans, or the amount of fame that A-RISE had. They were lucky that the school didn't close, but winning the Love Live! just seemed entirely out of the question. Not only would they have more intense training, they would have to have more frequent practice sessions.

Nico gave an annoyed groan, and paused the music. She picked up her phone and dialed a number she knew all too well.

She sat and waited for the girl to pick up the phone. Finally, the girl did.

" _Nicocchi?" Nozomi asked on the other line._

"Yeah," Nico replied, "It's me. I need you to come over- like now."

 _Nozomi was quiet for a second, "Are you sure? It's already eight."_

Nico nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure. I need to talk to you before Maki comes back."

" _What's wrong with Maki being there?" Nozomi asked._

Nico gave an irritated sigh, "I don't think she would like it."

 _Nozomi laughed on the other line, "Probably not. I'll be right over."_

Nico turned off her phone, throwing it somewhere on her bed. She clicked back onto the music video, watching it intently. The movement they had was remarkable- it was almost like they could do it all day. They didn't show any type of exhaustion or anything, it was like they were having fun doing it.

Nico scoffed at her thought, _Yeah, like that's true._ She clicked on another video and sat there, dumbfounded at what she had just saw.

Her thoughts were harshly interrupted by the sound of her doorbell ringing.

She yelled towards the door, "It's unlocked!" and Nozomi made her way into the house, and into Nico's room.

Nozomi stared at the girl, and tilted her head in confusion, "Nicocchi?"

Nico shakily sighed and closed her laptop, "We have bad news."

"What is it this time?" Nozomi placed her bag on the ground next to the door and sat up onto Nico's bed.

"Well you see," Nico turned around in her swivel chair to meet Nozomi's eyes, "A-RISE made the one thing we can't beat."

Nozomi's body froze, "Don't tell me."

Nico nodded, "It is."

Nozomi brushed her hand through her small bangs, "How did they manage to write a love song?"

Nico shrugged and turned back to her computer, unplugging her headphones, "I don't know, but it's full of passion." She showed the screen to Nozomi, who was watching it intently, "Look."

Nozomi watched the video all the way through, never tearing her eyes away from the screen. As the video stopped, Nozomi looked back up at Nico, "How are we supposed to do that?"

Nico shrugged again, "I don't know."

Nozomi leaned back on the other girl's bed, "I mean- I asked Maki to write a love song but I didn't think it would be this hard to beat."

Nico scoffed, "You thought we could write a love song?"

Nozomi shrugged, "It seems possible."

"Why don't you just write it then?" Nico asked.

"I could, but it wouldn't be as authentic as Maki's music." Nozomi stated.

"Then write the lyrics?" Nico tried to get a compromise with the other girl.

"The music has the feeling- not necessarily the words." Nico raised an eyebrow, but Nozomi continued to speak despite that, "When you listen to a song, and it reaches it's peak, the singer is always silent, aren't they?" Nico nodded, "Then you have a solo. The music goes on without the singer and gives a beautiful melody that makes you have goosebumps. It's not the singer doing that- it's the music." Nozomi smiled softly, "Though- I guess the lyrics add to it. Or the melody of the voice as it blends with the music. Lyrics give the song meaning- but the song has meaning despite whatever the lyrics say." Nozomi looked to the other girl, "Lyrics aren't always important."

Nico looked at the girl, dumbfounded on how deep her feelings towards music were. Nico never really thought music was Nozomi's thing, but after this description on how deep her emotions towards music was- Nico would have to admit that she was wrong on what she thought of Nozomi.

"I want you to do something for me." Nico stated after a long pause between the two. Nozomi raised her eyebrow, "I want you to gush out your emotions about love."

Nozomi froze, "What?"

"I don't understand this whole 'love' thing, but apparently, you do. So, tell me everything."

Nozomi looked at the girl, "Nico, we have literally dated for over a year and you still don't understand what love is?"

Nico sighed shakily at the reminder, "What we had wasn't love, I thought we went over this."

"But still," Nozomi debated, "Didn't it feel like it?"

Nico was silent for a moment, "At the time," She sighed, "If that's what love is like- then yes." She looked to the other girl, who gave her a look of sympathy, "Why is it that ever since Maki has stayed with me, we've been so attached to our past? Like- why have we been discussing this now?"

Nozomi shrugged, "I guess we never really had closure."

"What does closure have to do with it?" Nico was beginning to sound a lot more aggressive.

"I don't know." Nozomi defended.

The two were silent again, leaving their conversation at a pause.

Nico looked up at the girl, "Did you ever move on?"

Nozomi sighed, "Barely." Nico's face froze, "I never found closure, but," She looked out the window next to the girl's bed, "I guess you could say someone has occupied my mind recently."

Nico paused, _Is Nozomi confessing to me!?_ She thought as she rested her chin on the back of her chair. _She can't be- she wouldn't. This isn't like her!_

 _Is it?_

"It's hard to cope with, though." Nozomi sighed, "She'll never know- and if she did she wouldn't ever speak to me again."

Nico nodded, "Yeah- I think I get it."

"Do you?" Nozomi asked, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "Got to admit, never thought after what I did to you, that you'd ever feel romantic emotion ever again."

Nico scoffed, "Who do you think I am?"

Nozomi smiled, "Not someone who would fall in love."

Nico had to admit, the other girl's perspective on her emotions were always right. But she wasn't in love- and that was the truth. She didn't know why she was lying to Nozomi about it- possibly in hope that Nozomi liked her again. And while that was very unlikely, she could dream.

"So," Nico asked, causing Nozomi's attention to shift back to the smaller girl, "Who is this girl you're talking about?"

Nozomi's face turned into a soft pink, "Um," She said, before giving a quick sigh, "Please don't tell?" Nico nodded, pulling up close to Nozomi. The girl took a deep breath, "It's Eli."

Well, so much for dreaming.

Nico nodded slowly, not really understanding. After a second of blank stares, she sprang up in her chair, "What!? Eli!?"

Nozomi groaned and pulled a nearby pillow into her chest, "I knoooow…"

Nico groaned back at her, "Really? You chose the worst person to fall in love with- you know that?"

The girl burrowed her face into the pillow, "I know… But it happened…"

Nico dragged her hand down her face in frustration, "I can't believe this. She's Russian, Nozomi, _Russian._ "

Nozomi whimpered in return, curling her legs into her chest, "I know."

"So, what're you going to do about it?"

Nozomi looked up, "What?"

Nico put her hands on her hips, "What are you going to do about it? You know that Eli's family isn't very friendly towards us, so what are you going to do about it?"

Nozomi shrugged, "Can I do anything?"

Nico placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, looking at her determined, "Yes, you can Nozomi. You tricked me into falling in love with you- you can trick Eli into falling in love with you."

Nozomi looked down, "But… that's different. Your family was supportive."

"Listen," Nico sighed in frustration, "You gotta go on pussy patrol."

Nozomi gave a blank stare, "What?"  
"To rephrase it," Nico stated, "You got to go out and try. Go to her, don't wait for to come and surprise you with this whole, 'Surprise! I love you and I want to marry you!' bullshit. Because, let's face it, that'll never happen. You need to get off your ass and get her. Make her have that gleam in her eyes whenever you walk into the room, make her get nervous around you, and make her blush whenever she hears your name." Nozomi gave a shaky sigh, and an uncertain look at the girl. Nico sighed, softening up her speech, "Make her feel the way you made me feel."

Nozomi looked back down, "I don't know how I did that."

Nico laughed softly, "Need me to describe?"

Nozomi nodded, "Yeah."

With a deep breath, Nico began, "Whenever you looked at me, I felt weak. Your smile made me melt inside. Your presence made the room lighter. The feeling of your body made me so, so happy. Whenever you kissed me- oh my god. It felt like I wouldn't mind if the world exploded, because everything I needed was with me at that moment. The essence of you was the only thing I cared about. You made me feel a whirlwind of emotions. And you were so confusing. God, it was almost thrilling." Nico shook her head, "I don't know. You made me want more." She turned to Nozomi again, and looked at her with a stern look, "Make Eli feel like that."

" _I_ made you feel like _that?_ " Nozomi said in surprise.

Nico's face became a bit hot, "Yeah."

Nozomi smiled, "I think I get what you're saying now."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Nozomi continued, "I need to like… flirt?"

Nico smiled, "Yeah. You need to flirt, tease, hint at things, excite her."

Nozomi grinned, "Yeah. I can do that."

Nico grinned back at the girl, "Good, I'll be checking on you two a lot. Helping you along the way, 'kay?"

Nozomi leaped up and embraced the girl, "Okay."

Nico hugged the girl back, almost excited to be hanging out with her again.

Their heads turned to the door as it opened. Standing in the doorway, was a certain red-haired girl, who was carrying some papers and some music pieces.

She gave a neutral stare at the two, "Oh. Hello Nozomi."

 _ **Jealous Maki at the end heh~ I'm very excited to write how salty Maki will be in the next chapter. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again in chapter six!**_


	6. Jealousy can get the best of us

**_Hello friends and welcome to Chapter Six! I am so so sorry this took so long! I've been having a lot of issues with writing lately- my head has been pouring in more and more ideas for stories, but not this one. I haven't had as much motivation to write this on this last chapter, but things really begin to spice up in the next two chapters!_**

 ** _Now, some of you may be wondering how long I plan for this story to be. Intentionally, I wanted it to be ten chapters long. But, as the layout of the story goes, it'll be possibly twelve chapters long. I'm thinking for the climax, it'll be three chapters (Including two chapters in first person view between Maki and Nico!), and then the falling action should take, possibly two chapters. And, if needed, a small epilogue, consisting of under 2,000 words, probably._**

 ** _Plus! Once I'm done with this story, I'll probably take a small break from writing, then there WILL be a sequel! I'm really really excited to write this sequel, I feel like it has a lot of potential, and my editor thinks so as well! I will also, possibly make a little side stories thing of shenanigans within the other households, but that really depends on if you guys would like that or not! I've mentioned it before, and since more people have read this, I wanted more input. Thanks!_**

 ** _Anyway, enjoy Chapter Six of Unexpected._**

Thoughts swarmed around in Maki's head by the second. She could feel a burning in her chest, like she was going to blow a fuse. She couldn't feel anything except anger, and confusion. The reason behind it- well that was something she didn't want to believe.

 _What's Nozomi doing here? Why are they hugging? How long has she been here? Is something going on between them? Why are they smiling? Why does Nico look content?_

Those thoughts were racing around her head at the speed of light. She wanted to rip the two apart, to never let Nozomi in the house again. She wanted her and Nico to be alone together, but she couldn't express that without making a complete fool of herself.

"Oh," She responded with a blank stare, "Hello, Nozomi."

Nozomi looked at her sheepishly, "Hey, Maki."

Nico's face turned to a startled look. She let go of Nozomi, and grabbed her wrist, "Nozomi was just leaving! We just need to talk about one more thing privately before she goes!"

Maki raised her eyebrow, "Okay. Do you need me to-"

"Nope!" Nico interrupted, pulling Nozomi past Maki in the doorway, "We'll talk outside!"  
Maki gave a shaky sigh as they passed by her, "Whatever." She mumbled before shutting the door behind her.

Outside the apartment, Nico and Nozomi were standing together. Nico sighed, and Nozomi laughed in response to the sigh.

"I guess you called it." Nozomi smiled, "I thought Maki might not be too cheeky to see me. She seemed almost pissed."

Nico laughed a bit, "Yeah- I saw it on her face."

"I don't know, though," Nozomi looked out onto the horizon, "Hey, Nicocchi, you said that you were in love earlier, too." Nico looked up at the girl quickly, forgetting her tiny white lie, "Who?"

Nico laughed a bit awkwardly, "They're… Like hell I'm telling!"

Nozomi smirked, "Nice lie, Nicocchi." She began walking away, "You'll figure out yourself. Have fun doing that."

Nico watched her leave, sighing as she left. She turned back into the apartment, and walked back into her room. She saw Maki sitting on the floor with her headphones on, seeming to be humming the melody of the song she was listening to. Nico smiled softly at the image. While she wasn't in love, Maki was someone that made her feel something.

She wasn't lying when she said that she was beautiful. Maki looked beautiful no matter what she did. Really, she was surprised that the girl was only fifteen. She looked like she was older than Nico by a long-shot. But her mind was so premature, it was adorable. Maki was staring up at the ceiling, probably thinking about something.

Nico shut the door behind her, causing Maki to look at the girl. She pulled out an earbud, sitting up, "Hey."

"Hey." Nico replied, strutting over and sitting next to the girl.

Maki smiled softly, "So, what's going on?"

Nico sighed, "Found out that Nozomi had some interesting news, A-RISE is being a pain in the ass, and my life is going downhill."

Maki laughed softly, "I get it," She looked back up at the ceiling, "My life isn't too peachy either."

Nico tilted her head, "Why not? You seem to be doing fine."

"God," Maki closed her eyes, "I'm so stressed out."

Nico was quiet for a second, trying to think of words to say, but just settled on, "Why?"

Maki shrugged, even though she knew perfectly well why she was so stressed out, "I guess I just discovered something about myself that I never thought would be true."

Nico smiled, "And what might that be?"

Maki sat up with a start, her face as red as her hair, "Why do you care?"

Nico softly laughed at her reaction, "I was just curious."

Maki was silent. She laid her head back down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, "Why were you with Nozomi?"

"I had to ask her about some things, I guess," Nico sighed, "She's also my best friend, so."

Maki cringed at the words 'best friend', "Yeah, I guess."

"Also, I needed to share information on A-RISE with her." Nico continued. Maki gave a confused look, and Nico continued, "They wrote a love song."

Maki groaned, "Why does everyone care about love songs these days?"

"You're just saying that because you can't write one."

"That's not my fault!" Maki defended, "I have no idea what love is- you know that! How am I going to be able to write a love song on an experience I've never ever had."

Nico shrugged, "I don't know, it was Nozomi's idea."

Maki sighed, "I just don't get it. Why do people even care about love?" While Maki was being extremely hypocritical, she still really did not understand.

Nico shrugged once more, "It's an addiction, I'd say."

Maki sat up, "An addiction?"

"Yeah," Nico replied, "It's something that- once you have it, you can't get enough of it."

Maki looked at her feet, "But I've dated people," She looked back at the girl, "Why haven't I ever been addicted?"

Nico shrugged, "I don't know. You probably weren't in love."

Maki sighed, "I guess."

Nico smiled, "Isn't it lonely?"

Maki glanced at her, "What?"

"Not ever being in love," Nico replied, "Don't you get bored?"

Maki shrugged, "I really don't know. Romance isn't really my thing, if you can't tell."

Nico laughed softly at her statement, "I don't know, maybe it's just me being weird," Nico let down her hair, tossing the ties away, "But I would hate not being in love- it sounds painful."

Maki rolled her eyes, "You don't even like anyone anymore, why are you trying to be deep to me? You're not my mom."

Nico shrugged, running a hand through her hair, sending shivers down Maki's spine, "I don't know. Sometimes being cool and collected is better than being a loud mess."  
Maki felt a rush of blood throughout her body. She didn't know where it was going- but she didn't care. What Nico just said tipped her off the edge, it made her want to just kiss the girl. Maki's entire face was hot, and she couldn't feel her legs- much like the experience she had before- but this time, it was a good feeling. Great, probably.

But Maki didn't move.

She just stared at Nico.

"Maki, you okay?" She said, looking at the other girl with worry on her face.

Maki snapped up, "I'm fine!" She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself, "I'm okay."

Nico laughed at her reaction, "You're more of a hot mess than me, Maki. And that's saying something."

Maki's face turned redder than it ever had been, "I'm going to sleep." She said abruptly, standing up and crawling into bed, done with Nico.

Nico continued laughing, "Maki, chill out."

She walked over and turned off the light, crawling into bed with the other girl. Maki grunted as the small girl crawled into the bed. Nico rolled over to face Maki's back, poking her. Maki sprang up once more, making Nico more amused. Maki growled lowly at the girl, falling back onto the bed, putting her back to the girl once again.

"God, Maki," Nico began, "You're so uptight. Where's your chill?"

Maki kicked her lightly, "I have no chill."

Nico laughed softly, "You really don't."

Maki rolled her eyes, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Nico kicked the her slightly, "Forget it."

Maki groaned and shut her eyes, attempting to sleep; but the feeling of Nico next to her drove the girl wild. She wanted to wrap her body around Nico, hold her as she fell asleep. But she just lay still, not even daring to move. She pulled up a bit more cover, squirming around a bit to try to get the desire out of her mind- of her body. She squeezed her eyes shut, curling herself around the covers, attempting to push her thoughts out.

Nico could feel the girl squirming. After a good couple of minutes, she turned over and sat up; looking at Maki curled up in a tight ball. She frowned, "Maki."

Maki's tension released at the sound of the girl's voice. She turned over, looking up at the girl, "What?"

"What's up with you?" Nico asked, "You've been so… Uptight."

Maki frowned and looked down, "I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Yes you do." Nico said harshly, causing Maki's eyes to flicker back up to Nico. Nico's expression softened, "What's wrong?"

Maki shook her head, "Nothing."

Nico scooted back down into the covers, lifting the side in front of Maki, "Come here."

Maki's eyes practically lit up. _God, wherever you are, bless you._ She thought as she scooted towards Nico, letting the other girl drape her arms around Maki. Maki felt shivers go up her spine at the girl's touch, letting all the tension in her body release. Nico smiled softly, rubbing her cheek against the red-heads hair. The two soon fell fast asleep.

o0o

That next morning, Maki didn't feel Nico on her anymore. She awoke slowly, looking at the clock next to the bed. Next to it, was a small note. Maki reached over and picked up the note frowning as she read it.

 _Hey Maki! I got up early because I had to meet up with Nozomi before school. I have to help her out with one of her things, it'll be great! So, I'll be getting up really early for a little while- until this whole thing going on with her is resolved. See you at practice!_

 _Your favorite idol, Nico~_

Maki crumpled up the note and threw it in the trashcan. She stood up and threw her clothes on, running a brush through her hair. She grabbed her homework and stuffed it in her school bag violently, throwing a couple notebooks in there as well. She walked through the house quickly, not even bothering with breakfast. She put on her shoes and walked out the front door, shutting it behind her with a slam.

As she made it to school, she didn't look at anyone as she walked in. She looked directly in front of her, and made her way into her classroom, and sat down at her desk, plugging her headphones in and zoning out, staring at out the window.

Maki didn't really know if she was angry, sad, or just frustrated. The fact that Nico would just leave after that was one thing, but Maki was unusually torn up about it. She didn't ever think she would be this emotional- her brother would do the exact same thing when she was younger. He would hug her and protect her when there were thunderstorms, because thunder terrified her. Whenever she woke up, he wouldn't be there anymore. She never really felt too strongly about it.

So why was she feeling that now?

"Maki!" A voice called for her.

Maki pulled out her headphones, startled at the sudden voice, "What!?"

"You weren't answering, so Rin decided to be loud." Hanayo said, peeking from behind the girl.

Maki rolled her eyes, causing Rin to sigh, "Seriously, Maki. You listen to you music too loud sometimes…"

Maki turned off her phone putting it in her bad, "Is that a bad thing?"

Rin shrugged, "Only when I'm trying to talk to you." Maki rolled her eyes once more, causing Hanayo to give a small laugh, emerging from behind Rin. "Anyway!" Rin started, causing Maki to look back at the girls, "I need to ask about that thing."

Maki raised her eyebrow, "What thing?"

Rin wiggled her eyebrows, " _The_ thing."

Maki gave a confused look, causing Hanayo to speak up, "That whole thing with Nico."

Maki felt a wave of anxiety crash over her, "You know about that?" She said, almost too loudly.

Hanayo smiled, "Yeah- but not all the details. I know the premise of it."

Maki sighed shakily, "And…?"

Hanayo laughed softly, "You're fine." She tilted her head towards Rin, "I'm the same."

Maki smiled lightly at the girl, and flickered her attention back to Rin, "What do you need to ask about it? It just happened." She looked away, "I probably don't even like her."

Rin scoffed, "Yeah- like that's possible." Maki gave Rin an angry look, causing the girl to back off, "Listen, Maki. The first step is to accept it."

"How can I accept it if I don't even know it for a fact!?" Maki snapped. Rin looked a bit startled, causing Maki to calm down, "I don't want to like her."

Rin smiled, "Maki, you don't need to want to. You just need to accept the fact that you do, and work with that."

Maki was silent. She stared at her desk, processing the words Rin just said. "And besides," Maki looked up to Hanayo, who was speaking, "Maybe she'll like you too."

Maki put her head on her desk, "Yeah, like that'll ever happen."

The teacher walked into the room, beginning to start class, Hanayo walked towards Maki, and smiled, "Miracles happen, Maki. Perhaps it'll happen between you two." She walked away from the girl, and sat back at her desk.

Maki looked down at her desk, "Perhaps…" She said quietly to herself, before class begun.

o0o

"Hey!" Nico yelled from down the hall. It was right before practice, and Nico had just coincidentally seen her down the hall, walking with Rin and Hananyo.

Maki stood still, her body tense. Rin glanced at Maki, while Hanayo looked down the hallway at the other girl. Maki looked back to Rin, with a pleading expression on her face. Rin smirked and tilted her head towards Nico. Maki groaned lightly, causing Hanayo to hit her gently in the side. Maki's face turned into a blush, causing Hanayo to laugh at her.

Nico eventually caught up to them, poking Maki in the back. Maki squealed, her face only blushing more, "What was that for!?"

Nico smirked, "For ignoring me."

Maki turned back around, "I wasn't ignoring you!"

Hanayo and Rin smiled at her, pushing her back into Nico. Nico's arms were thrown around the girl's waist, causing Maki's face to become as red as her hair. Hanayo was beginning to walk towards the girl, before Rin grabbed her by the arm, running down the hall.

"See you in practice!" "Somebody help me!" The two girls ran down the hall, leaving the other two alone.

It took a second for Nico to realize they were still in the position. She pulled her arms away from the girl, laughing awkwardly. Maki rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

Nico frowned, "What's wrong?"

Maki shook her head, "Nothing." She turned, walking away from the shorter girl, keeping her arms crossed. When she turned the corner, her walk turned into a sprint. She wanted to get away from Nico as quick as possible, and she didn't even know why. She didn't want to be around her- she just wanted to be alone.

After a couple seconds of running, she realized she wasn't running towards the roof, she was running towards the music room. It was a safe haven for her, of some sorts. She felt the most comfortable on the piano seat, with her hands gliding across the keys. Her instincts led her to the room. She turned another corner and ran to the door of the music room, opening it violently. She slammed and locked the door behind her, sliding down the door.

She gave a shaky sigh, and stood up again, walking over to the piano. She sat down on the bench and lifted up the cover, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the keys. She drifted her fingers onto the keys, pressing down a C major chord. She felt herself relax slightly, drifting her hands an octave higher, playing those same chords. Slowly, began playing a song she had written for a solo, but never performed. It didn't have any words- but it was deep. The chords could break a person's heart; words taken directly from Umi herself.

Maki played and played, releasing her emotions onto the keyboard. She spilled in all the stress she was under, all the ragged emotions she was feeling, and all the loneliness she's ever experienced throughout her life. She completely submerged herself, forgetting her entire existence.

When she came to a slow stop, she opened her eyes slowly, looking at the keyboard. Her eyes flickered up to the door, noticing a certain girl standing at it. She stood up slowly, unlocking the door, and letting the girl in the room, locking the door as she fully entered. She sat back on the piano seat, anxious to what she was going to say.

"Why aren't you at practice?" Eli asked, leaning against the piano.

Maki looked down at her lap, "I couldn't face her."

Eli tilted her head, "Nico?"

Maki nodded, "Yeah. I came here to clear my head."

Eli smiled, "Yeah, I get it. Umi might not, though."

Maki sighed deeply, "I'm almost terrified for tomorrow."

Eli laughed a bit, "I would be too." She shifted her body to face Maki, "What was that you were just playing?"

Maki smiled softly, "Remember when I was wrote the first solo? This is the first production of it."

Eli nodded, "It's beautiful. Do you have lyrics?"

Maki shook her head, "No, never got to that."

Eli smirked, "I can help you."

Maki gave an unsure look, "Can you write lyrics?"

Elii nodded, "I write sometimes. Nozomi was almost moved to tears once." She smiled softly when she said the girl's name, staring down.

Maki nodded, "Yeah, then you can help me."

Eli smiled, "We can do it now, if you're free." Maki nodded once more, and Eli pulled up a chair next to her, "Alright," Eli started, "Where should the lyrics start?"

Maki played the beginning on the piano, stopping after a couple seconds, "Here. That first part is the pickup."

Eli nodded, "Okay, play the first verse."

Maki obliged, playing what would be considered the first verse. Eli watched her, thinking up lyrics. When Maki stopped, she looked up at Eli, "Anything?"

Eli nodded, "Yeah, what about something along the lines of: 'I need some time just deliver the things that I need for now. Everything that I feel's like a warm deep calm casting over me, and it's taking me to somewhere new. If you believe that everything's alright, you won't be all alone tonight. And I'd be blessed by the light of your company, slowly lifting me to somewhere new.' Or something?"

Maki looked at the girl, astonished, "How did you manage to think that up so quickly?"

Eli shrugged, "I don't know. It just came to me."

Maki looked at the keyboard, "That sounds like a love song."

Eli smirked, "It could be, but it doesn't need to be. It could be about a close friend, or a sibling or something."

Maki rolled her eyes, "'And I'd be blessed by the light of your company, slowly lifting me to somewhere new.' sounds really romantic."

Eli grinned at the girl, "You caught me. I'm helping you write the love song."

Maki looked down, "Did you already have these written down?"

Eli nodded, "Yeah. I felt bad for you, so I decided to write the lyrics. Incorporate them, okay? And don't tell Nozomi."

Maki grinned, "Yeah, she'd flip a shit."

Eli's face turned into a frown, "When did you start to curse?"

Maki raised an eyebrow, "I've always cursed."

"No, you haven't." Eli argued, "You've never cursed- not even in your beach house between us girls."

Maki shrugged, "I don't know. I just- I do now. It's almost a reflex."

Eli looked down, silent for a second, "Is it Nico?"

Maki looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"Does she curse a lot around you?" Eli asked.

Maki shrugged, "I don't know."

Eli groaned a bit, "I swear with that girl- she can bring out the worst in people.".

Maki grew tense, slightly annoyed at Eli, "What do you mean? She doesn't do that at all."

Eli raised an eyebrow, "Why are you getting so defensive?"

Maki backed off, staring back at the piano, "I don't know." She almost whispered.

Eli smirked, "You guys are becoming really good friends, aren't you?"

Maki groaned in her mind at the word friends, but smiled down at the piano, brushing her hair behind her ear, "Yeah, I guess."

There was a comfortable silence between the two for a minute, just keeping to themselves. Eli was remembering the lyrics to the song, while Maki was trying to think of some rhythms to put together.

Maki looked back to Eli, "How did you write those lyrics?"

The girl shrugged, "It just came to me."

Maki nodded, "Who were you thinking about?" She asked, curious.

Eli smirked, "You'll never get that out of me."

The red-head rolled her eyes, "Sure."

Eli laughed at Maki, who just laughed in return. The blonde smiled, "Let's continue, shall we?"

Maki smiled back, "Yeah."

o0o

Nico growled to herself as Maki came home, at eight at night. She walked through the door, and stared at the shorter one, who seemed like she was going to pop a vein. She looked enraged, causing Maki to feel kinda bad, but mostly amused.

"Why weren't you at practice?" Nico asked.

Maki took off her shoes, "I didn't want to go."

Nico furrowed her eyebrows, "That's no excuse." Maki rolled her eyes and walked past Nico, "Hey!" She called back in frustration.

Maki ignored her, and walked back into their room, shutting the door behind her. She heard Nico protesting behind her, so she locked the door, making sure Nico didn't come in. She sat on the bed, and pulled out her homework, beginning it.

Nico pounded on the door outside, stopping after a couple minutes. She wanted to rip out her hair. The girl groaned and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She stood in the bathroom, staring down at the floor, clawing at her hair.

"Ugh, what's with her!?" She yelled, "Why is she all of a sudden acting like I did something wrong!?" Nico fell onto the floor, choking back sobs, "I didn't do anything wrong, right? I haven't changed in the slightest, right? So why is she doing this?" Nico could feel tears rushing down her face at this point, when she shut her eyes tight, "I don't know what I'm doing wrong…"

The door opened wide, footsteps following it, then a voice, "Listen." Nico turned around to see Maki peering over her, and the girl continued, "I could gladly tell you a million things what you're doing wrong, but that would ruin me. Just-" She crouched down in front of the girl, "You haven't been spending a lot of time with me for the last couple of days. So I thought we were on bad terms."

Nico smiled gently, "Really?"

Maki looked away, trying to hide her blush, "Yeah. I'm sorry for giving you that act- I just didn't really know what was going on between us."

Nico pulled the other girl into a hug, "It's fine."

Maki hugged back, and looked at the girl from the corner of her eye, "Are you okay, though? You seemed really… torn up."

Nico pulled back, brushing the girl's beautiful, crimson hair behind her ear, "It's fine, don't worry about me, okay?"

Maki looked down, "I can't do that."

Nico frowned, "Why?"

Maki looked away, "We're living together, how can I not care about you." she looked down, her blush rising once more, "If something were to happen to you," she shook her head, "God- I don't know what I'd do."

Nico could feel her heart begin to melt at the sight of the other saying that, and she pulled her into another hug, "Thank you, Maki. Thank you so much."

Maki smiled, "No problem."

 _ **Jealous Maki makes her small appearance, but more to come in the next chapter. I have a really really funny scene planned out for you guys to enjoy. Let's just say, there's an unexpected guest and Maki gets**_ _ **pissed.**_ _ **I think it'll be rather funny. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter guys! Thanks for reading!~**_

 _ **Ps. Yes, I made the love song Stay by Mayday Parade. I felt as if it would fit. I am so sorry for being a dork.**_


	7. A bit too close for comfort

_**Hello guys! I am so, so , SO sorry this took so long to get out! I've been having massive writers block, I apologize! This chapter was very hard to write, and I'm not very satisfied with it, but I hope you enjoy what you can with it! This chapter is actually the longest chapter of the entire story so far, with a word total of 6,226 words! I really hold this makes up for the long wait!**_

 _ **The next chapter will be the heaviest chapter, I assure you. That will be when everything falls apart. Ooo! It'll be so exciting! The competition is sooooon~**_

 _ **Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this extra long chapter! Thank you!**_

It was a glorious morning. Nico had waken up early again, due to her meetings with Nozomi in the mornings which were now standard. They had been meeting up every morning since Wednesday, planning out what would either make or break Nozomi and Eli's friendship. When Nozomi told Nico about her situation, Nico took Nozomi under her wing to confess her love perfectly. They had been going over techniques, and been practicing the confession, plus the reaction. And while Nico could've been considered a bit harsh, her acting was quite realistic. It scared Nozomi in a sense, but she decided to ignore the negative possible outcomes. It wasn't like she could do anything to stop herself now, anyway; because today is the day.

Today was the day that Nozomi Tojo was going to finally confess her love to Eli Ayase. Of course, it wouldn't be easy, and Nozomi knew that. Eli was heavily Russian, and Russians aren't very keen about homosexuality. Or, at least, she was pretty sure Eli wasn't. She would always try to avoid the topic, or trail off and never finish the conversation. And while Nozomi really didn't know her deal, she had a game plan for the confession. It would almost certainly work out- or, well, if Eli wasn't homophobic. That was ideal, at least.

Nico stepped out onto the roof of their school, to meet Nozomi's expectant smile.

"Hello, Nicocchi," She said to the girl, "Beautiful morning, isn't it?"

"Oh my god," Nico replied, dropping her bag by the door, "That was too much-"

"Nicocchi!" Nozomi frowned, "You should know how to respond to that correctly at this point!"

Nico rolled her eyes, "I'm not saying it."

"Nicocchiiiii!" She whined.

Nico groaned in response, "Stop being so looooud. I just woke up."

Nozomi leaned back against the fencing, "Whatever. I just thought I could've used the motivation."

"I can give you motivation, but I will never ever say that."

"Fine," Nozomi turned away, "I'll be over here when you want to be a good sibling."

"What-" Nico began, "Sibling!?"

"Yes, sibling." Nozomi stated. She walked over to Nico, and traced Nico's jaw line with her middle finger, "Call me Onee-chan."

Nico leaned back, "I literally dated you for like a year and a half, made out with you on many occasions, and you want me to call you _Onee-chan?"_

Nozomi grinned, "That just makes it hotter, doesn't it?"

"You're gross, Nozomi."

Nozomi hit her gently with her elbow, "You can't say you're not into it, right?"

Nico rolled her eyes, "No. I have three siblings, why would I think that's hot?"

Nozomi smirked, "You did in seventh grade-"

Nico grabbed her by her collar, "We do _not_ speak of April 23rd, 2010, _got it?"_

Nozomi twirled Nico's hair around her finger, "Whatever, Nicocchi."

Nico pulled back, "Are you coming onto me or something?"

Nozomi smirked, "You wish. Elicchi is my only love."

Nico rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

"Hey, Nicocchi," Nozomi's tone softened, "I would really like it if we could go over the plan again."

"Yeah, of course." Nico walked over to her bag, pulling out a paper. She walked back to Nozomi, who had sat on the ground.

Nozomi took a deep breath, calming herself, "Let's start."

"So," Nico began, "We go to the restaurant at 6:30pm, I reserve a table for myself, and you wait for Eli. When Eli comes, you two get your own table, somewhat away from me, but still where I can see you. Start talking to her about the group, possibly about whatever student council thing you have planned, then, once you both have your drinks, ask her about sexuality."

Nozomi gave a shaky sigh, "Are you sure about that?"

Nico nodded, "Yes, I am. Anyway, after that, change the subject. No matter what happens, change the subject. Once you're halfway done with the food, excuse yourself to the bathroom. I'll meet you there, tell me her reaction. From there, I'll tell you what else to say. Okay?"

Nozomi gave an uneasy look, "But-"

"I have a positive and a negative trail, don't worry. If positive, start talking about relationships and such. If negative, then talk about us. Like, about the good things. It might change her mind." Nico suggested.

Nozomi laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, about that…"

"What?" Nico asked the other girl.

"Um," Nozomi began, "Eli doesn't particularly know we…"

Nico groaned, "Really? You didn't tell her?" Nozomi shook her head, apologizing. Nico just groaned again, "Fine. Bring up that we dated. Start talking about it. If she looks weirded out just tell her that it was nice and stuff but it didn't work out in the end. Okay?"

Nozomi shrugged, "Sounds reasonable."

"Yeah, so," Nico sighed, a bit tired from being side tracked, "That's the plan, got it?"

Nozomi nodded, "Yeah, I guess. But what about after the dinner?"

Nico shrugged, rolling her eyes, "I don't know, you guys can either split or, like, you can walk her home or something? I'm not an expert at this."

"Yeah, I know." Nozomi stated bluntly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nico asked, beginning to get a bit defensive.

"Nothing, Nicocchi, I'm just teasing." Nozomi nudged the other softly.

"Hey, guys, what's going on? You're already here?" Umi asked from behind the two.

Nico's head shot up, while Nozomi gave a light smile to the girl, standing up, "Good morning, Umi. Nicocchi and I decided to come earlier today so that we could practice stretching, we were just taking a break."

Nico looked at Umi, "Y-Yeah! I'm really flexible, so I was just teaching Nozomi how to reach my level of greatness."

Umi rolled her eyes, "Alright, well, since you guys came earlier, how about you lead the group in stretching when they come?"

Nico was about to let out a groan, before Nozomi kicked her- not so lightly, "Sure, we're up for it."

Umi smirked at Nozomi's actions, "Excellent, I'm going to start stretching over there- you two can chill out until everyone else comes."

"Don't tell us what to do, second-year-" Nico mumbled under her breath, causing Nozomi to pound Nico's foot, smiling gently at Umi.

"Alright, thank you." Nozomi replied, turning back to Nico. Nico rolled her eyes, standing up to begin stretching.

o0o

At the end of the day, Nico was sitting on the roof with Maki, who was drinking from her water bottle. The sound pounded down on their heads, causing the two to sweat more than usual. Three other girls were up there with them, including Nozomi, Eli, and Umi. Umi was packing her things, talking to Maki a bit about a possible new song, while Eli, Nico, and Nozomi were talking about possible jobs for each other.

"I can't believe you think I want to be a gypsy." Nozomi stated, giggling softly.

Eli smirked, "I can't believe you thought I wanted to be a professional dancer."

Nico sighed, "You guys are hopeless, you don't even know anything about each other!"

Eli rolled her eyes, "Believe it or not, Nico, I know a whole lot more about Nozomi than you would think."

Nico looked away, _Yeah, I highly doubt that._ Nico thought, pulling her view back to the two girls.

Nozomi turned to Eli, smiling, "Maybe Nicocchi's right, I don't know much about your past or much of your interests."

Eli shrugged, beginning to pack her stuff, "I don't know if that's necessarily true…"

"How about dinner, hm? My treat." Nozomi asked.

Eli grinned at the girl, "Sure, I'll just have to tell Alisa."

Nozomi nodded, "Of course, I'll be at your apartment at, let's say, 6:15?"

Eli nodded in return, standing up and walking towards the door, "Sure, I'll be waiting."

Nozomi nodded, "Alright, see you then."

Eli smiled, turning towards the door walking off the roof. Nozomi smiled, waving her off. She turned to Nico, who gave her a thumbs up in approval. She sauntered over to the girl, causing Nico to smirk softly, Nozomi returning the look.

"Nice job, can't believe you pulled that one off." Nico admitted.

Nozomi shrugged, "We're best friends, is it that hard to pull off?"

Nico rolled her eyes, "Depends on who the friend is."

Nozomi turned away, "Whatever, Nicocchi," She waved to the other two girls on the roof, walking towards the exit, "See you tonight~"

Nico rolled her eyes, beginning to pack her things. She turned her body around, brushing against Maki's waist to reach her bag. Maki squeaked a bit at the sudden feeling, face turning a light shade of pink. Nico smirked at her, turning away once again to continue packing. Maki huffed, turning back around to Umi once more.

As she turned around, the girl was walking out the door, "I'll be leaving, have a nice evening." She spoke before walking off the roof.

Maki waved her off, turning back to her bag once the girl was gone. She picked up her water bottle, placing it in her bag. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two girls as they packed up their supplies, Maki looking at the girl out of the corner of her eye, but Nico keeping a bland expression on her face. Maki wanted to talk to the girl about the exchange that happened between her and Nozomi, but she decided to keep her mouth shut, afraid it would offend her in some way that Maki couldn't wrap her head around. Nonetheless, the uncomfortable silence stayed between them.

Nico, on the other hand, didn't find the silence awkward at all. In her head, she was trying to think up the entire plan. It wouldn't benefit the two in the slightest if she was caught staring them down across the restaurant- she would have to come up with a way to distract Eli if she were to see her there. She, of course, had no ideas in mind. Usually she would go undercover and blend in, but the restaurant was extremely fancy, the workers would never let her go in there with what she normally wore while going undercover. If she wanted to get into this place, she would have to really blend in with the regular crowd. Which means, of course, she would have to wear a fancy outfit. She loved the idea of it, but she didn't have enough money to get any dress fancy enough for that restaurant. She didn't have enough money to pay for the damn restaurant either, never mind the fact that she would look like an idiot going there alone. Her entire plan was going to fail if something didn't come up.

Maki breathed heavily, leaning back on her hands, looking up at the sky, "Hey, want to do something later?"

Nico's head shot up, _What- how did she- who-_ She thought, _God, wherever you are, bless you._ She nodded, "Yeah, sure."

Maki looked back to Nico, "There's the restaurant my parents went to the other night, said it was good," She brushed back her bangs out of her face with her hand, "Apparently it's hard to get into or something- they only got in without reservation because my father's co-worker's son owns the restaurant."

Nico looked at the sky, "Wow- that exclusive? What is it called?"

Maki's eyebrows furrowed in thought, "Like, The City of Stars, or something."

Nico's heart almost stopped, "Uh- yeah- but isn't that fancy? I don't have a dress or anything."

Maki shrugged, "If you can fit, I'll let you borrow one of mine."

Nico's face turned a bit red at the thought of wearing the other's clothing, "Are you sure?"

Maki nodded, "Of course, we can stop by my house when we leave."

Nico looked away, "Sure- I guess."

"And besides," The red-head smiled softly, "It'll be nice to stop by my house again after such a long time."

Nico scoffed, "It's only been two weeks."

Maki shrugged, "Still, I can get homesick, you know?"

Nico curled her knees into her chest, "Yeah, I know the feeling."

Maki kicked the other softly with a smile, standing up, "Come on, we have dresses to try on."

"Alright." Nico stood up slowly, picking her bag up last minute.

The two girls walked out of the building together, laughing and talking about instances where their dresses have completely malfunctioned before a live show. On many occasions, Kotori accidentally rushed with their outfits, causing them to come off while practicing the dance. Everyone would start laughing, causing Kotori to get a bit flustered about the whole situation. Honoka and Umi would always calm her down, though, not letting too much harm go to her head.

"Oh my god- do you remember during Kaguya No Shiro De Odoritai, when Hanayo's fan wouldn't open during the recording?" Nico said, trying to restrain her laughter.

Maki laughed out loud, "That was hilarious- you got so mad when we had to redo it."

Nico rolled her eyes, "Well, of course! I was center, I was practically leading the entire group!"

Maki placed a hand on her shoulder, "Come on, do you know how hard it was doing my second solo part without hitting someone in the face?"

"I had to dance across the entire stage during that, you almost hit me in the face." Nico said bluntly.

"So, you see my point." Maki smiled.

The two walked in a comfortable silence a bit more, enjoying each other's presence over anything. The sun was setting across the boulevard, causing a beautiful shade of pinks and purples to spread across the sky. Maki smiled at the sight, feeling the warmth of the mid summer air come onto her. Nico, still in front of her, payed attention to the front of the road- trying not to stray off. Maki took soft, slow footsteps, admiring the sight. She loved art- even though it wasn't her prime art style. The colors inspired her- made her feel things that she wouldn't be able to feel on any regular day. The air around her, mixed with the sight, and who she was with, it made her entire life light up.

Besides, she loved Nico.

Right?

"Hey, do you even know where we're going?" Nico spoke up, turning back to Maki.

Maki's head turned to her, "Oh- yeah- we have about a block left."

Nico hummed in response, turning back around, "Sure is beautiful today."

Maki smiled softly, looking at the back of the other's head, "Yeah."

Nico sighed, "I don't remember any day being as beautiful as this one."

Maki glanced up back at the sky, "I do," Nico turned around raising an eyebrow, implying Maki to explain, "Well, I think it might've been one of the first nights I stayed at your place. There was a beautiful sunset- the sky was filled with an abundance of oranges and yellows. It was amazing," She sighed, "Whenever I was homesick it kind of helped me through it, you know? The sky is always comforting."

Nico smiled a bit, "Yeah."

Maki stopped in front of huge gates, causing Nico's jaw to almost drop to the ground. The place was _huge._ It was at least half the size of her entire apartment complex, and the property seemed like it stretched on for miles. Nico felt like she was going to faint, everything she assumed about Maki's house was blown out of the water.

Before she could even notice she had her mouth open, her thoughts were interrupted by the other's voice, "Nico, come on!" Maki yelled from already inside the house.

Nico shook her head, beginning to run to her, "Coming!"

Maki rolled her eyes, leaning against the doorway, "Do you think you could fit a strapless dress?"

Nico shrugged, walking through the door and taking off her shoes, "I doubt it."

Maki tilted her head, "Yeah, probably."

The two girls walked up the stairs, walking down a huge hall filled with many doors. Nico was surprised the girl could even tell which one was which. At last, Maki turned to a rather large double door, opening it up to reveal a huge bedroom. It had a color scheme of mint green and white, with a king sized bed, a desk, a huge walk in closet, a bathroom, a TV, and a small couch. Nico had to lean on the door frame to make sure she didn't faint.

Maki rolled her eyes, "Come on, it's not that big," She huffed, walking towards her closet, "I have a lot of friends that would make fun of me for this room- it's so small."

Nico took a deep breath, her expression hardening, "Who are they? I'll beat them up."

Maki's face turned into a deep blush, "N-No you don't- you don't need to! It's just- Within the corporation of which my father works in, their daughters have generally bigger rooms! It' nothing bad."

Nico stumbled into the room, shutting the door behind her, "Okay- where are the dresses? I need to get out of here before I pass out."

Maki rolled her eyes, opening the closet door, "I have a couple-"

"What the-" Nico pushed Maki aside, stepping into her closet, "Every dress in here is fancy!"

Maki shrugged, "Seems normal."

Nico skimmed through the dresses, her eyes locking on a fluffy, pink, short dress. She audibly gasped, taking it off of the hanger. She draped it in front of her, grinning like a five year old in a candy shop.

She looked at Maki, "Can I try this on?"

Maki shrugged, "I don't see why not," She studied the dress the girl was holding, "It would probably fit you- did you find it in the back?"

Nico nodded, "Yeah, how did you know?"

Maki smirked, "Just a hunch, now go try it on."

Nico nodded as she walked toward the bathroom that was conveniently in her room. Trying to restrain from passing out due to how beautiful it was, she easily stripped from her clothes and looked at herself in the mirror. Personally, she never liked her body. She didn't have much of a bust, she didn't have any figure whatsoever, there were various scars across her entire body from mishaps with her siblings, and she still had a scar right below one of her breasts from a night with Nozomi years ago. Her entire body made her want to gag, it just looked so disgusting.

Nonetheless, she teared her eyes away, focusing her attention back on the dress. Locating the zipper, she unzipped the dress and threw it overhead, letting it flow down onto her body. She zipped the dress up from the back, letting the fabric tighten around her. She twirled around in the dress studying herself in the mirror. It fit her well, almost like it was sized for her. She took a deep breath, stepping out of the bathroom in it.

"Well?" She asked the other, who had a surprised look on her face.

"Wow," Maki admired the girl, "You look beau- I mean, cute."

Nico frowned a bit, "Oh."

Maki's face turned to a blush once more, "No! Ugh- I meant to say you looked beautiful but I didn't know if it would weird you out, okay?"

Nico tried to restrain her laughter from the girls sudden outburst, "It's okay, Maki. Why did you think I would be weirded out?"

Maki backed off, looking at the ground, "I don't know."

Nico rolled her eyes, "You're so weird."

"Yeah, says the girl who's wearing my sixth grade graduation dress-" She stopped herself from saying anymore, afraiding she had deeply offended the girl.

"What did you just say?" Nico asked, raising an eyebrow, "This is your sixth grade graduation dress?"

Maki nodded, "Mmhm."

Nico looked to the ground, her head pounding, "I have the body of a sixth grader?"

Maki shrugged a bit, "You have the body of me as a sixth grader- and I was one of the most… developed… girls in my class."

"So, what you're saying is," Nico looked back up to the other, "I look like a mature middle schooler."

Maki looked away, "Sure…?"

Nico groaned, "You know what? At this point I don't even care anymore." Maki gave a sigh of relief, but Nico continued, "Alright, now you have to go find one."

Maki looked down at her, "What?"

Nico huffed, "You have to get a dress now, right?"

Maki's face turned red out of slight embarrassment, "R-Right…"

She walked into her closet, scanning at all the dresses that she had. Really, she couldn't find one that would work with her body type like how Nico's dress did with her. In the group, her body could be considered sexualized a lot throughout the songs and the outfits. She didn't have much of a problem with it- as long as she didn't have to do unnecessary fan service. Though, that didn't mean her fancy dresses were sexualized. She barely had any that would fit her figure in any way, and the ones that did made her uncomfortable. She scanned through various dresses, but only a handful were what she considered fancy. It was almost a sad sight to be so rich but to not have fancy dresses.

After a couple of minutes of impatience, Nico called out to the girl in annoyance, "Hey, what's taking so long?"

Maki was stunned by the girl's sudden voice, yelping a bit in surprise, "Nothing! I just… Can't find a fancy dress. That's all…"

Nico rolled her eyes, intruding in on the closet, "Here, let me look."

Nico's eyes scanned through the many dresses, pulling some out and tossing them to the side- only for Maki to catch and put back on the shelf behind her- before her eyes landed on it. The perfect dress. It was a beautiful snow white dress with a silver lining in the middle, that drifted down onto the floor. It wasn't a dress that clung to the body, but it wasn't as full as a ball gown either. It was dignified, elegant, and beautiful. She squealed in excitement once she looked at it, taking it off the hanger immediately. She turned around to Maki with a gleam in her eye as she offered the dress to the girl.

Maki took the dress, and raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure it's wise to wear a white dress to a restaurant?"

Nico shrugged, "It doesn't matter much to me- just be careful, alright?"

Maki rolled her eyes, "Whatever…"

She walked out of the closet and into the bathroom once more to change. Shutting the door behind her, she gave a heavy sigh as she stripped out of her clothes. Unlike Nico, she didn't really have much of a problem with her body- she just didn't find it as interesting as fans do. It seemed average for someone of her age- there wasn't anything necessarily special or important about it. It was just a body, nothing more, nothing less.

Man, people are weird.

She turned back to the dress, unzipping it and stepping into it. She zipped it up, before realizing it was a strapless dress. She audibly groaned, before unzipping it and stepping out once more. She turned the door handle and was about to open the door, when she realized Nico was still standing outside. She sighed out of annoyance, before yelling through the door.

"Nico, I need to get something from out there- but I can't have you look, okay? Close your eyes until I come back inside!" She yelled.

"What do you need, I can get it for you!" Nico yelled back.

"No- I need to get it myself!" Maki defied against her.

Nico groaned, "Fiiine! My eyes are closed!"

Maki took a deep breath, and opened the bathroom door, sprinting out into her room to grab a strapless bra from her drawer. She dug around in her drawer, looking for the item of clothing she was looking for. She looked through countless pairs of bra's and underwear, but couldn't find a strapless bra anywhere. She would have to ask her maid about that another time.

"Geez, Maki, are you done yet?" Nico asked, opening one eye to see Maki exposed.

Maki quickly turned around, her entire face red, "What the fuck are you doing!? I told you to keep your eyes shut!" She almost screamed.

"Ah! I-Im sorry! I just- I-" She tried to compose herself from the embarrassment she was experiencing.

Maki covered herself up as best as she could, "Why are your eyes still open!? Close them you idiot!"

Nico shut her eyes tightly, "Right! I-I'm s-sorry!"

Maki groaned, reaching to the back of her drawer and pulling out a strapless bra. She quickly sprinted back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her and running to the mirror. It was just as she thought, her entire face was red. While it was normal for it to get this red, the feeling of embarrassment she had just endured made it even worse. She was going to have to pay Nico to not tell anyone about what just happened, and that would be a pain. Just because she was rich didn't mean she wanted to pay Nico for such a silly thing.

She sighed shakily, trying to forget the entire situation. She switched out bra's, making sure the strapless was tight enough. Once she was done, she put back on the dress, and studied herself in the mirror. The dress fit her perfectly, but it wasn't too tight on her. It did trail behind her a bit, but not as much as she assumed. The silver lining in the middle fit right above her waist, complimenting her curves extremely well. The dress, of course, was made to fit her body size, but it wasn't in exact measurement- she was surprised it fit as well as it did.

She opened the door slightly, peeking through to see Nico's still embarrassed face waiting for her. She took a deep breath, and stepped out of the bathroom, making sure the dress didn't get caught in the door as she made her way out. She stood in front of Nico, who had an amazed look on her face.

"Wow, Maki…" Nico mumbled, examining the girl, "You look like a princess…"

The red-heads face became hot at the other's comment, "I- Thank you."

Nico stepped forward, smiling softly, "We need to do your hair and makeup."

Maki looked down at her, "What? Why? Isn't this enough?"

Nico shook her head, "Of course not, we're going out to a fancy restaurant and I am _not_ letting your hair stay the way it is right now."

Maki raised an eyebrow at the other, "What's wrong with my hair the way it is?"

Nico looked away, "That's not what I meant-" She grabbed the others wrist, "Come on."

Nico began walking to the bathroom, dragging Maki behind her, "Are you going to cut it?"

"Of course not," They walked into the bathroom, and Nico stood next to Maki in the mirror, "I'm just going to style it. Alright, sit on the toilet seat."

Maki obligated, making sure the top was down before she actually did it, "Try not to mess it up too much, okay?"

Nico nodded, "Yeah- turn your body to face the wall."

Maki scoffed, doing so, "What are you even going to do?"

She shrugged, picking up a brush from the counter, "I don't exactly have a plan yet- but it'll come to me."

Maki sighed, "Whatever."

With that, Nico began brushing out the other's hair. It sent shivers down Maki's spine whenever the brush glided across her hair. She couldn't help but to get nervous, they were in a bathroom alone, plus both of their clothes were just on the ground around them. It wasn't like the bathroom was small, it just was a bit embarrassing for her to be alone with her… crush?

Honestly, she didn't know what to call her. She didn't want to call her a crush because it didn't really feel like one. Of course she had romantic interest towards the girl, but it wasn't like she thought about her all the time and cried herself to sleep because they weren't together; she just wanted to date her, it would be nice. That's all.

Maki felt a tug on her hair, and winced, mumbling a small 'ow'.

"Sorry, Maki, there was a tangle." She apologized, brushing lighter than before.

"It's fine," She sighed, looking up at a painting above the toilet, "I have some hair ties and clips-"

"I know, I see them." Nico said, leisurely reaching over and grabbing a small while floral clip. She brushed the red hair to the side, "Hold this."

Maki grabbed the white flower clip, "What are you doing now?"

Nico pushed a bobby pin into the girl's hair, holding it to the side, "Pinning your hair to the side."

Maki nodded, letting the girl continue. The bobby pins slipped in one by one, securing her hair to the side. Nico seemed the be enjoying herself quite a bit- she didn't really make any annoyed noises and offered to do her hair- even though it was an inconvenience. She either really cared about Maki- or really cared about her hair.

Either one was okay with her.

"Hey, turn around." Nico said, stepping away from the girl.

Maki did so, blushing as her and the other locked eyes, "W-well?"

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Give me the pin?" Maki handed her the pin, her blush only getting worse as their hands touched. _Soft…_ She thought, before Nico pinned her bangs back with the flower clip.

"Okay, done." Nico stated, "Come on, look."

Maki stood up, glancing over herself in the mirror. Nico really did an amazing job- she looked like a bride. The way her hair curled around her shoulder really accented the entire look, she looked beautiful. It was really surprising- she never really wore long dresses. Most of her outfits had short skirts, and she never went out to formal parties so she never really had to wear anything long. She didn't know if she necessarily liked it or not, it just felt weird.

"Wow," She commented, turning a bit, "It looks amazing."

Nico grinned, "Really? It seemed a bit rushed…"

"It's beautiful." Maki cut her off, smiling softly, "Thank you so much."

Nico's smile softened, "It's not a problem."

Maki turned to Nico, undoing her twintails, letting them fall onto the girl's shoulders, "Now it's your turn."

Nico raised an eyebrow, brushing her bangs back, "You're going to do my hair?"

Maki turned her around, grabbing the brush on the counter, "Yeah, but it won't be as fancy as mine."

Nico shrugged, letting the other brush out her hair, "Okay, just try not to mess it up."

Maki rolled her eyes, "What makes you think I'll do that?"

Nico shrugged, "I don't know."

Maki smiled softly, making sure it was brushed all the way out. The girl's hair was much longer than her own, it was interesting brushing it. She never had any close friends with hair longer than hers- or at least, she's never brushed hair longer than her own. It was a bit tiring to say the least, she wondered how Nico put up with styling her hair in the mornings everyday.

As she finished up with brushing it out, she brushed the bottom of her scalp up, holding it with her hand. She reached across the girl's head, brushing out the part that she had in her hair, meeting where she was holding the other part of her hair.

"Hey, hold where I'm holding for a second." Maki asked.

Nico did so, "What are you doing with it?"

Maki shrugged, picking up a hair tie from the counter, "I might put your hair in a bun, I don't know."

Nico let go of her hair as Maki grasped back onto the place she was holding, "Oh, okay."

Maki tied her hair into a high ponytail, then wrapped it around the base, forming a high bun on the girl's head. She stepped back, a bit unpleased with how it look. She took a deep breath, taking some of the bobby pins from the counter and securing the bun a bit more. She pulled out two strands of hair from the bun, walking away from it and plugging in a curling iron into the wall.

Nico watched her in the giant mirror, "Why are you plugging that in?"

"To curl the strands of hair from your bun, it'll look messy straight." She stated, turning the iron on and waiting for it to heat up.

"I've never used a curling iron before, though," Nico stated uneasily, "Will it damage my hair?"

Maki shrugged, "It never damaged my hair."

Nico took a deep breath, nodding, "Okay."

As the curling iron heated up, Maki twirled the strands of hair hanging from the bun, smiling softly. She picked up the iron and twirled the hair around it, holding it for a second before releasing the hair. She did the same with the other strand of hair, unplugging the iron once she was done.

She stood back, "Alright, I'm done."

Nico turned, looking at herself, "Oh, wow," She shifted her position slightly, looking at the back more, "It's beautiful."

Maki smiled softly at the girl, "Thank you."

Nico twirled the loose hair around her finger, smiling, "It's surprising."

"What is?" She asked, looking at the girl in the mirror.

"That you could do this." Nico answered.

Maki looked away, blushing slightly, "Well I used to have longer hair, my maid taught me how to do things with it," she smiled softly at the ground, "She used to let me play with her hair after she cleaned."

Nico smirked, "Impressive."

Maki rolled her eyes, "Is it really?"

"Nah, not really." Nico admitted, "Anyway, let's get some shoes and leave, we've been here for at least over an hour."

Maki's eyes widened, "What!? What time is it!?"

Nico picked up her phone from the counter, checking the time, "Five thirty."

Maki groaned softly, "Yeah, we'll have to leave soon," She picked up her phone as well, beginning to text someone on it.

Nico raised an eyebrow, "Who are you texting?"

"My limo driver," She said, not tearing her eyes from the screen, "What, do you think we're going to go on the train?"

Nico's eyes widened, "Limo?" She had never been in a limo, but there was no way in hell she would ever admit that to Maki, "Riding in style I see- I guess it's normal for any idol-"

"He'll be here in ten minutes." Maki cut her off, shutting her phone off and looking up to meet the distressed face the other was making, "What?"

Nico sighed, "Nothing."

She opened the bathroom door, walking out with the other following behind her. Maki closed the door behind the two, and walked into the walk in closet once more. She looked down, scanning through all of the shoes she could wear. Nico walked in behind her, looking at the shoes pushed up against the wall. She leaned down, picking up beautiful pastel pink high heels. She flipped them over, looking at the size.

"Maki!" Nico yelled, startling the other girl.

"What!?" She yelled back.

"You never told me you were a size seven!" Nico stated.

Maki took a deep breath, giving an irritated sigh, "It's not like it's much of a secret."

"But still!" Nico exclaimed, "Your feet are so tiny!"

Maki rolled her eyes, "What size are you?"

"A seven, but that's normal for someone of my body type." Nico defended herself, putting the shoes back onto the ground and sliding into them.

Maki looked over the other, heat rising to her face, "You look… great."

Nico spun around a bit, smiling softly at the ground, "Really?"

Maki smiled at the scene, feeling warmth in her chest, "Yeah, you look beautiful."

Nico's face turned into a slight blush, "T-Thank you…"

Maki smiled softly at her, before picking up a pair of white heels on that was on the ground, sliding into them, "What about me?"

Nico's face turned into a deeper red, "You look like a goddess…"

Maki blushed, her knees feeling weak, "I- Wh- T-Thank you…"

Nico smiled softly, "No problem."

It was silent between the two.

"We should go now, don't you think?" Maki spoke up.

Nico nodded, "Yeah, I'll meet you outside."

Maki nodded exiting the room. As she left, Nico quickly unlocked her phone, clicking on Nozomi's contact. She typed in a short message, and sent it. She locked her phone once more, before grabbing a small purse and placing her phone into it. She took a deep breath, sighing softly.

"Alright, it's go time Nico." She mumbled, before walking downstairs.

Her phone buzzed in her purse once more.

o0o

 _[Nico Ni~ at 5:37 PM] I'm heading to the restaurant now, be ready._

 _[Nozomi ^-^ at 5:38 PM] Alright, I picked up Eli, and we're on our way. Be sure to sit as far away from us as possible, I don't want Eli seeing you._

 _[Nico Ni~ at 5:38 PM] I will, don't worry._

o0o

At with that, she met up with Maki at the front door.

"Ready?" The red-head asked, looking down at the girl.

Nico nodded, "Yeah, ready."

 _ **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As I said, it took me very long to write, and I apologize greatly. School has just started, so I might be uploading less, but I will try my hardest to get out a new chapter in under a month. Thank you for reading!**_


	8. Dinner Date Start!

_**A/N- Hey guys! Wow I haven't posted in literally 10 years but! Here's the newest, shortest chapter of Unexpected! Literally I lost all motivation for this piece and this chapter is literally the shittiest thing on earth. But at least it exists haha right,, anyway, if you actually want me to update this garbage please leave me a nice review and I will try to do it! Thank you!**_

The ride was silent, and a bit awkward. They _were_ two high school girls, they should be giggling about boys and the latest bands or something. But, not these two. Maki couldn't make small talk to save her life, and Nico was preoccupied taking selfies to pay attention to her. She couldn't blame her for taking pictures, though. She looked gorgeous. Usually, she just looks cute- and that's expected, since she had a small body type and a very childish figure- but today, she looked like she was part of a royal family. Whenever the redhead looked at the girl, she was still completely stunned by the fact that she was 17- but not because she looked younger. Nico could've pulled off to be at least 22.

Maki, on the other hand, was staring out the window, silently. She had her legs crossed with one leg on the other knee, and her hands were folded in her lap. She took out her phone every so often to check the time, but ended up being tempted to take a picture of herself. She would quickly shut her phone off to avoid the temptation anymore than it was currently. She didn't want to seem conceited or anything- she, of course, had social media, but she didn't post things a lot. It would be no use to even take a picture of her.

"Maki, get in this!" Nico offered, scooting over slightly.

Maki rolled her eyes, "Is it really necessary?"

Nico shrugged, "Probably not- but I want to remember this night, right? Taking pictures last longer!"

"Are you going to post it anywhere?" She asked uneasily.

"Possibly- I don't know. I didn't plan on it until you just said that- but probably." She admitted with a small smile.

Maki locked eyes with her, heat rising to her face. She looked away, sighing a bit, "Okay, whatever," She scooted over towards the girl, "Only for you…" She mumbled slightly.

Nico looked back to her, "What?"

Maki's face turned to a deep blush, looking away hastily, "Nothing! Nothing."

Nico sighed, "Gosh, Maki, you're so adorable."

Maki's face turned redder, "Just take the picture, okay!?"

Nico laughed softly, "Just get closer to me, only half of your body is in the photo."

Maki obliged, scooting closer to the girl, "Is this okay?"

"A bit closer." Nico smiled to her, "Come on we're both supposed to be in the picture."

Maki sighed, getting closer to her, "Is this fine now?"

Nico nodded, positioning her phone and putting up her signature hand sign, "Pose!"

Maki put up a small peace sign, smiling gently. Nico snapped the picture, then changed her position, taking another one. Maki sighed, going along with whatever the other girl had in mind. Honestly, she couldn't care more or less about how she looked in the picture- she really only cared if Nico was happy.

That was way too embarrassing to admit, though.

After a couple more pictures, Nico put her phone down, turning it off. Maki looked at her phone, then back to her, slightly confused on the facial expression that Nico was making. She wasn't sure if she was excited, sad, determined, or whatever was going through her head at the moment. She wanted to speak up, possibly consult her about it, but she stayed quiet, barely moving an inch.

Nico then shook her head, looking back to the taller girl, "Why are you staring at me?"

Maki became a bit flustered, scooting back a bit and looking away, "N-No particular reason... "

Nico raised her eyebrow, a small smirk developing onto her face, "It's no surprise- I am the most photogenic girl in the universe."

 _Yeah, you are._ Maki thought, before her blush deepened and she sat further from Nico, "Sure."

Nico furrowed her eyebrows, giving a small 'hmpf' before crossing her legs and looking out the window once more. She checked the time on her phone, _Six twenty five,_ She thought, shutting it off once more and placing it in her small purse. She looked out the window, resting her chin on her palm and crossing her right leg over her left, feeling generally bored. She wasn't too nervous about the mission, honestly, it just made her feel a bit bad. What if everything went wrong? Would Nozomi hate her? These questions swirled around in her head, but she was trying not to regard them. Those chances were one in a million anyway, they've already been through so much- she doubted that they would ever fall through again.

There wasn't any particular reason she was going on about this- it just couldn't get out of her head. She felt like something was wrong for some odd reason- like she wasn't supposed to be doing something she was doing.

Eh, whatever, it was probably just a feeling anyway.

Nico turned her head back to Maki, staring at her lightly. She was looking out the window, her right leg crossed over her left and her hands delicately gripping her phone. She looked like she was in a whole other world compared to Nico, like she was on a completely different plane of existence and she could never come down to Nico's level. Her eyes looked like they were somewhere completely different, looking off into the distant future. She wondered what Maki could be thinking about. Honestly, it didn't matter to her one way or another, she was content with just looking at the girl.

Is that weird?

Nico shook her head, attempting to get the thoughts out. This was _Nozomi's_ night, not hers. She was only doing this for Nozomi. And Eli.

Can't forget about Eli, right. She's important too.

Nico was startled when the car suddenly stopped, and something kicked her lightly. Her eyes shot back to Maki, who was almost out of the car.

"Hey, Nico, we're here." She said, a bit annoyed.

She turned, looking at the door on her side being open, "Ah, right, sorry."

Maki rolled her eyes, walking around to the side Nico was on, being that was the side that the restaurant was on. As Nico stepped out of the car, Maki couldn't help but to just stare at her. She really looked like a movie star or something stepping out of it. Not like her normal idol persona- she looked mature, like it was normal for her to ride in a limo. Mostly because of the fact that she wasn't exactly smiling, she just had an apathetic look on her face.

Maki gave a concerned look, "You okay?"

Nico's eyes widened, looking back at the girl, "Hm? I'm fine- yeah."

Maki huffed, "Then let's go- stop waiting around."

Nico nodded, beginning to walk towards the restaurant, "Yeah."

Maki trailed behind her, her arms crossed. She wondered what the girl could be thinking about- why she had that expression on her face. She didn't want to be concerned about the girl, but that's all she was feeling. Concern. She wanted to stop Nico, to talk to her or something.

But these reservations cost a lot and there was no way she was going to blow off her money like that.

As the two approached the restaurant, Maki was the one to walk up to the girl at the desk.

"Nishikino for two?" Maki asked the girl.

The girl nodded, grabbing two menus from under the table and gesturing her arm out for the two, "Right this way."

Nico walked leisurely alongside Maki, eyeing the door expectantly. She was hoping to see Nozomi and Eli walk in- but that didn't occur. With an annoyed sigh, she turned her head back to where she was going.

The two sat down in the booth seat that the waiter assigned to them, Maki across from Nico. Nico could consider it a bit convenient- in a sense that Maki wouldn't be able to see who she was texting. It's not like she would be texting the entire time, but it would at least be useful. She really didn't need Maki looking over her shoulder and seeing what she was up to. It's not like she was hiding something, it just made her uncomfortable.

She wasn't hiding anything, right?

"Nico."

She was so startled that she almost dropped her phone. Her head shot up, looking at Maki, "What do you want?"

Maki raised an eyebrow, sipping at the complimentary water the waiter provided for the two, "The menus are here- duh."

Nico glanced at her table, picking up the menu, "Right, thanks."

She glanced over the items quickly, then continued to eye the entrance. She skimmed the small crowd of people before her eyes locked on blonde hair. She felt her insides tense up slightly as the girl turned around, revealing a girl with purple hair behind her. Nico sighed, seeing the familiar faces enter. At least Nozomi knew what she was doing.

She watched the two as the made their way to a table. Nozomi locked eyes with Nico, giving her a little nod, and the other returning it. The two made their way to a table generally far away from Nico and Maki, but making sure that they were still somewhat in sight. Nico nodded lightly, turning her head back to her menu.

"Well, I know what I'm having." Maki stated, closing her menu.

Nico tilted her menu down slightly, keeping eye contact with the girl, "What?"

She stretched her arm over the table, pointing to an item on Nico's menu, "Saumon Sauvage."

"Isn't that French?" Nico asked, "I didn't think it was a French restaurant."

"Well, it's not," She crossed her legs, "It's more of a mixed resturaunt, but that was on the menu. It seems good."

Nico read the description, looking back to the girl when she was done, "I didn't even know you liked fish."

Maki shrugged, "It's neither here nor there- It just looks good, you know?"

Nico scrunched up her nose slightly, "I don't like fish."

The redhead smiled gently, "Well, I guess you're missing out."

Nico rolled her eyes, giving the menu back to her, "Whatever you want to say, Maki."

Maki took it, setting it to the side. She held her glass of water by her fingertips, swaying her head lightly to the beat of the song that was playing in the restaurant. She was a _huge_ fan of the composer that they were playing, and was very happy that it was playing at all. She had been told many times that the music was dead in the century- that it wasn't ever going to be played. _Ha, told you Hime,_ She thought of her friend, sipping her drink, _You owe me fifty._

"You seem pleased."

Maki glanced up at the girl across from her, putting her cup down to respond, "I am, how could you tell?"

Nico smirked lightly, stirring the straw around in her drink, "You had this smug look on your face, different from the one you usually have. What's the occasion?"

"I won a bet, that's it." She smiled, "Not that that's unusual."  
Nico nodded unconvincingly, "Yeah, sure."

Maki squinted her eyes at Nico, huffing, and turned her head away. As she did that, Nico took it as a chance to glance over the menu again, knowing she wasn't actually paying attention the first time around. She read through every dish carefully, but honestly couldn't care less about what she ate- that's not why she was really here for, anyway.

It was all for Nozomi.

Though she had to admit, being out with Maki was somewhat fun. She hadn't ever really cared much to go to restaurants or anything of the sort, but Maki made it almost… enjoyable.

But say it to her face is something she'd never do.

Nico sat there, staring into her glass, sighing gently. She never really thought that she'd be put into a situation like this, where she had to help someone she loved go for another girl. She wasn't pleased, but she would have to deal with it.

She was honestly rooting that Eli would be homophobic, but that wasn't in her control, sadly.

Nico sighed once more, she wasn't excited for where this night was going to go.


	9. Needed Me

_**Another short chapter, sorry! At least its less of a wait this time, amirite,,**_

 _ **Anyway, here you go!**_

Could Maki be any more narcissistic? Their entire conversations were about her! Every second Maki would bring up her family, her pets, where she used to live, or some snotty rich bitch shit that Nico _knew_ Maki had.

" _Hm? Oh, yeah, my father usually buys me a new phone whenever I ask."_

" _What? You've never had a credit card?"_

" _You can't drive? Really? It doesn't seem that hard, or at least that's why my limo drivers told me."_

Nico wanted to punch her in the throat, literally. She wanted to grab that pretty hair of hers and slam her head down against the table. If there was one thing Nico couldn't stand, it was people who brag about money.

Since she wasn't the wealthiest, she had always worked for herself. She earned everything she had ever gotten, and had never asked of anything from her mother, grandparents, anyone. She found that gifts were mostly out of pity, and that no one should have to bear giving them or receiving them, but only when they're asked for.

Nico wasn't quite sure if Maki was paying for this dinner or not, and frankly, she was terrified about what the bill would be.

Maki, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. Nico didn't seem to be making any effort to try and keep a conversation at all, so all she did was talk about herself and the family of the restaurant. While she was mindlessly spewing out whatever could come to her head, Nico seemed to be focused on something completely different. She would stare off into space in a certain direction, stare at the menu, or check her phone. It was irritating Maki, she wanted nothing more than Nico's attention, she _was_ paying, after all.

Taking a small breath, she put her fork on her plate and stared at the girl across from her, who was on her phone, not paying attention once more.

"Nico," She spoke. Nico only made a soft hum in response, so Maki decided to take it up a step. She tapped her nail on Nico's plate, "Nico, what are you doing?"

Nico squeaked at the sudden noise, dropping her phone on the table and looking up at the girl, blushing, "W-What? What was that for?"

Maki grunted and sat back, crossing her arms, "If you could pay attention to me for more than a split second, I'd appreciate it," She huffed, "Especially since I'm the one paying."

' _Oh, thank god'_ Nico thought, grabbing her chest and looking back up at Maki, "A-Ah, sorry, I'm just a bit occupied."

"With what?" Maki leaned forward, snatching Nico's phone, "Playing a game?"

"No! Maki!" Nico leaned forward, attempting to grab it as the phone vibrated. Maki looked at the phone, her eyes widening before Nico snatched it back from her, blushing and looking at the text.

 _[Nozomi ^-^ at 7:12 PM] I asked, come to the bathroom now._

Nico got up quickly, speed walking over to the bathroom, while Maki sat at the table in silence.

"Hm," She finally spoke up after a minute, "Maybe it's not worth it to love her," She sighed, "She doesn't even care about me."

Meanwhile, Nico was in the bathroom, waiting anxiously as Nozomi opened the door, and Nico's eyes lit up.

"Well?" She asked.

"Well," Nozomi sighed, "Guess I don't have a chance."

"Really?" Nico asked, almost sounding excited, but then toned her voice down, and made a fake sigh, "I'm sorry."

Nozomi huffed, leaning against the sinks, "It's alright, I should have expected this, right?"

"Nozomi," Nico hugged the girl softly, "It's alright, it's really okay, there's tons of other girls out there to fall in love with!"

Nozomi scoffed, hugging Nico back, "Like who?"

' _Me,'_ Nico thought, blushing. She looked up at Nozomi, smiling, "Like anyone else! We're only 17, Nozomi, there's no need to rush!"

"But, Nicocchi," She pushed her off gently, looking up at the lights, "I think it's her. She's made me feel like everything. I think it's absolutely her, no one else. She's my Elichika, my best friend. I would never want anyone else," She pushed Nico more, "She's all I want."

Those words hit Nico like a bullet. All at once, she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. Sure, Eli was her crush, but her _best friend?_ Nico wanted at least that, if she couldn't have Nozomi to herself. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream. The only wish she had ever asked for had been Nozomi, but now that flew from her too. She wasn't sure if there was anything else to do except cry.

Or run.

And that's exactly what she did, with tears flowing to her eyes she turned and bolted out the door, running through the restaurant, crying her eyes out. She passed Maki, grabbed her wrist, and ran out with her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Maki yelled at her as they fled out, her wrist in pain for how hard Nico was holding it.

The two girls ran as far as Nico took them, until Nico was finally out of breath, probably a half a mile away from the restaurant. She leaned against a wall of a building, sliding down it and then collapsing on the ground. She was sobbing hard, unable to breath. The only thing filling her mind was Nozomi, and what Nozomi told her.

She couldn't feel, think, or hear anything. The only thing that was filling her mind was crushing doubt, and suicidal thoughts. She felt absolutely sick to her stomach, she wanted to vomit. She felt her limbs numbing and her head pounding. She didn't want to live like this.

Without her Nozomi.

Maki looked down at Nico, a crying mess. She sat down in front of her, leaning over her and holding her tightly. Nico grabbed onto Maki harder than anyone ever had before, sobbing onto her and shaking hard. Maki rubbed her back gently, too afraid to say anything to the girl as she felt her clinging to her.

Neither of them knew how much time had passed before Nico stopped crying. Had it been minutes, or an hour? Did it matter? It didn't to either of them.

Nico looked up at Maki finally, and Maki blushed lightly, "Huh? What is it?"

Nico sniffed, smiling gently, "Nothing, god, nothing."  
"What happened in the bathroom, Nico," She asked.

"I…" Nico looked down, coughing gently, "Nozomi doesn't need me anymore."

"What?" Maki scoffed, "Are you serious? Nozomi couldn't live without you."

Nico smiled sadly, "She's going to."

"What does that mean?" Maki asked.

"It means…" Nico sighed, "That I'm not her best friend anymore."

"That's bullshit, Nico."

"It's not," She said back harshly, "It's not bullshit. She said it herself."

"Yeah, well, if she ruined you that much, then she obviously doesn't care about you," Maki rolled her eyes, "Ditch her, she doesn't deserve you as her friend at all if she didn't care when you ran out crying. You shouldn't be the one to feel bad, she should." Nico felt frozen. She looked at Maki, who seemed to be absolutely furious over the topic. Her face was red, and her grip on Nico got harder, "Nozomi's just a bitch like the rest of them if she doesn't care for you. If she would do this to you, why would you want her back at all?"

"I don't know," Nico whispered.

"Exactly, that's my point, Nico," Maki looked back at the smaller one, "Don't go running back to her, she'll just hurt you more. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Promise me you won't."

Maki sounded dead serious. Nico gulped, nodding her head, "I promise I won't go crawling back to her."

With a gentle sigh, Maki nodded, "Good," She stood up, offering a hand to the smaller, "Come on, Nico."

Nico took her hand, standing up gently, and looking at Maki while she stared into the moonlight, "Where are we going?" Nico asked.

"Home, of course," Maki laughed, "Where else would we go? Your mother must be worried sick."

Nico rubbed her eye, smiling gently, "Yeah, probably."


End file.
